1852 Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS).

Lovely deep golden-honey color and pleasing mint luster blanket both sides, the surfaces of which are uncommonly smooth for both the issue and the assigned grade. A sharp to full strike adds to the appeal of this premium quality example. The mintage for the circulation strike 1852 double eagle is 2,053,026 pieces. As with most early Philadelphia Mint double eagles, the quantity struck reflects the huge influx of gold from the California gold fields that was shipped to the Northeast beginning in 1849, then growing considerably larger with each passing year. The Philadelphia mintages would begin to lessen in size, however, after the opening of the mint at San Francisco in 1854, although not to the same extent as in New Orleans. Most 1852 double eagles remained in the United States and were used in domestic commerce, though many were sent overseas years later, by which time the coins had already acquired considerable wear. Today's research suggests that only 50 to 100 different examples can be accounted for in Mint State, with most of the known survivors at the lower end of the grading scale. Indeed, even a coin in MS-60 represents a significant find in today's market. Not all that far removed from the Choice Uncirculated category, this offering from the phenomenal Fairmont Collection represents a significant bidding opportunity for the astute numismatist.

PCGS# 8906. NGC ID: 268K.

From the Fairmont Collection - Mont Blanc Set.

Estimate: $6000