1865-S Liberty Head Eagle. EF-45 (PCGS).
Another outstanding offering from the Fairmont Collection, this 1865-S Liberty Head eagle offers undeniably originality, premium quality surfaces and awesome rarity. Awash in vivid honey-gold color, warm orange-rose highlights enhance the eye appeal. Softness to the high points of the eagle and several of the stars on the obverse is noted, although hardly unusual for an S-Mint eagle from the 1860s. Otherwise we note bold to sharp detail and just light wear. Frosty and appreciably lustrous, only the strongest bids will be competitive for this incredible example. The 1865-S tells a familiar story for a San Francisco Mint eagle from the Civil War era. The mintage was small, in this case 16,700 pieces, and commercial demand for gold and silver coins on the West Coast was such that virtually all examples succumbed to the rigors of circulation. Attrition was exacerbated by the lack of contemporary numismatic demand for mintmarked coinage, especially in California. There are two major varieties for this issue: the Normal Date, offered here, and the 865/Inverted 186. The former is rarer in today's market with PCGS CoinFacts providing an estimate of just 25 to 35 survivors throughout the grading scale. The offered coin from the Fairmont Collection is among the finest listed in the PCGS Population Report for the Normal Date variety, and with superior quality and undeniable originality, it is one of the very finest 1865-S eagles obtainable by gold enthusiasts. A Condition Census specimen worthy of the strongest bids.
PCGS# 8642. NGC ID: 264G.
PCGS Population: 7; 9 finer (AU-58 finest).
From the Fairmont Collection - CAG Set.

Estimate: $17000