1883-S Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS).

Lustrous, frosty surfaces are adorned with vivid, original rose-orange color. A fully struck, expertly preserved example that belongs in the finest double eagle set. With a large production run of 1,189,000 double eagles at the San Francisco Mint in 1883, the domestic needs for the large denomination as well as foreign payment requirements were met. Still more were retained as backing for the recently introduced Series 1882 Gold Certificates. In circulated grade levels, the 1883-S is by no means a rare coin and is sometimes traded at little over bullion value. Thanks to the repatriation of gold coins from Europe in the second half of the 20th century, a reasonable number of Mint State specimens are available for collectors, making this a popular type coin for collectors of all stripes. As with most double eagles of the period, especially those that spent time abroad, Mint State specimens are most often heavily abraded and fall at the low end of the scale, so much so that full Gem examples are all but unknown. For connoisseurs who desire only the finest, it would be quite the arduous task to improve upon this coin.

PCGS# 9000. NGC ID: 26BJ.

PCGS Population: 19; 2 finer (both MS-64+).

From the Fairmont Collection - CBL Set.