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1879-O $20 AU58 PCGS....

Lot: 1921, Auction: 2009 May Long Beach, CA Signature US Coin Auction #1125

Sold for: Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
Ended: May 28, 2009
Item Activity: 6 Internet/mail bidders
828 page views

Description:

Pleasing 1879-O Liberty Head Double Eagle, AU58
Low-Mintage Issue, Only O-Mint Type Three

1879-O $20 AU58 PCGS. The New Orleans Mint opened for business in 1838 and produced a continuous stream of gold and silver coins until 1861. The series included double eagles beginning in 1850. At the dawn of the Civil War, the facility fell into the hands of state officials and then the Confederate government. A limited number of coins were minted by both groups through about April 1861, before coinage was halted entirely.
After being restored to the U.S. government at the end of the war, the New Orleans Mint remained dormant until 1879, when coinage production resumed, undoubtedly due to the need for silver dollar coinage under the Bland-Allison Act. In 1879, a limited number of double eagles were minted, just 2,325 according to mint records. They were the last coins of that denomination ever struck in New Orleans, and represent the only non-Type One issue of that mint. Those that were struck apparently entered circulation, as the date is a rarity in all grades and an extreme rarity in high grades, as the PCGS population shows. There are probably no more than 150 examples surviving in all grades, including a single harshly cleaned AU coin in the Smithsonian Institute. An early auction appearance of this date was in the Belden Roach Collection (B. Max Mehl, 2/1944), lot 196. Mehl's interesting description read, "1879 Last year of issue. Small O. Uncirculated with bright mint luster. Only the slightest evidence on obverse of having been handled with other coins. Catalogs at $115.00 but difficult to obtain even at that price."
This wonderful piece has brilliant lemon-yellow color and rose patina, with only a faint trace of highpoint wear over fully lustrous and frosty surfaces. A few minor abrasions are visible on each side, but they are entirely insignificant. Population: 2 in 58, 1 finer (4/09).(Registry values: N4719) (#8990)

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Previous Prices from Heritage Auctions

Lot Date Grade Service Realized
Auction 1132, Lot 1999 Sunday, December 6, 2009 58 PCGS $74,750.00
Auction 1117, Lot 3087 Saturday, October 25, 2008 58 PCGS $74,750.00
Auction 1122, Lot 3056 Sunday, February 8, 2009 58 NGC $63,250.00
Auction 1118, Lot 2478 Saturday, December 6, 2008 58 NGC $71,875.00
Auction 434, Lot 2371 Saturday, May 12, 2007 58 ANACS $20,700.00
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PLEASE NOTE: All prices realized reflect the final hammer price PLUS the buyer's premium in auctions that charge a buyer's premium. Each item has a notation at the top of the listing indicating whether that lot included a buyer's premium. All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. Please use this guide carefully and inform us of any inaccuracies.

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