Exceptional 1885 Carson City Mint $20
The Battle Born Specimen
1885-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle. MS-62 (PCGS). CAC.
Perhaps surprisingly for a low mintage issue, the 1885-CC is generally not a well produced coin. The typical example is softly defined in isolated areas on the obverse, and luster on high grade survivors tends to be a bit subdued with a granular texture. A refreshing departure from the norm, the present example is overall sharply defined on the obverse with the reverse sharp throughout. All hair curls on Liberty's portrait are crisply delineated, and the centrils on all stars are full except in the centers of stars 1 and 2. Luster quality is also a strong suit for this piece, both sides bathed in a billowy, frosty texture that mingles nicely with handsome medium rose patina. Minimally abraded for the grade with solid Mint State quality, this is easily one of the finest and most visually appealing 1885-CC double eagles that we have ever had the privilege of bringing to auction. Carson City Mint expert Rusty Goe has written extensively on this particularly desirable 1885-CC double eagle, both in the catalog for our August 2012 sale of the Battle Born Collection and in his 2020 book The Confident Carson City Coin Collector. In the latter reference he observes: Returning to the Mint State pieces that are known to exist, the ex: Battle Born PCGS MS-62 specimen is certainly one that deserves an elevated position on the condition census...In its latest public auction appearance to date (late 2018) this CAC-stickered PCGS MS-62 specimen fetched $57,500 in the August 2012 Stack's Bowers unforgettable sale of the Battle Born collection. The ex: Battle Born piece is arguably more attractive than the example that rocketed to $85,187.50 in January 2017. Both share similar coloration. The ex: Battle Born specimen's surfaces are not plagued with the small smudges and light scrapes visible on the other one. Chances are that the ex: Battle Born coin would catapult above the record price established by this other piece if it were to reemerge in the next several years (say, in the early 2020s). Our August 2022 sale of the Fairmont Collection - JBR Set, which occurred after publication of Rusty Goe's book, brought another 1885-CC in PCGS/CAC MS-62 to market that fetched $84,000. It is difficult for your cataloger (JLA) to crown a champion at the MS-62 level between the Battle Born specimen and the Fairmont Collection - JBR coin. Both are equally attractive, fully original, and boast outstanding provenances in the realm of Liberty Head and Carson City Mint double eagles. With the seemingly ever-increasing premiums being paid for CAC-stickered examples of key date classic U.S. coins in the current market, it is certainly possible that Rusty Goe's prediction of a new record price for the 1885-CC at the MS-62 level will come true through this current offering of the Battle Born specimen. The strongest bids are certainly in order for this beautiful piece and extraordinary condition rarity.
PCGS# 9004. NGC ID: 26BN.
PCGS Population: 16; 2 finer (both MS-63). CAC Stickered Population: 5; 1.
Ex Ira & Larry Goldberg's Pre-Long Beach Auction of February 2007, lot 2553; our (Bowers and Merena's) Milwaukee Rarities Sale, August 2007, lot 1944; our sale of the William Porter Collection, August 2011, lot 7778; Rusty Goe, August 2011; our sale of the Battle Born Collection, August 2012 Philadelphia ANA Auction, lot 11052.