Rare 1856-O Double Eagle to be Auctioned by Heritage!

Dallas, Texas: "This is the classic key-date issue in the Liberty double eagle series," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auction Galleries, "and this example with its light hairlines and minor abrasions may prove to be an affordable alternative to those coins that have been offered in the recent past."

"The original mintage of this coin was just 2,250 pieces," Rohan said, "making it the rarest New Orleans Mint double eagle, with only the 1854-O issue being a close contender. Very few coins struck at this Southern branch mint have lower mintages or a smaller surviving population. Estimates of the number of survivors range from a low of 10 coins (Breen) to a high of 20 coins (Winter). Most examples surviving today are similar quality to this coin, being in the Very Fine to Extremely Fine range."

"The coin offered here displays medium greenish-gold surfaces with hints of pinkish color on the devices," Rohan said. "Despite being cleaned, the fields retain the reflectivity that is always seen on these coins. Traces of luster are still visible around the devices. The surfaces are lightly abraded as usual, with two or three specific marks for pedigree tracking. Hair details are a little softly defined, as are the eagle's wingtips; however, all other obverse and reverse design details are well defined. The obverse has a small rim bruise at 3 o'clock and a tiny abrasion close to the bust line above the right side of the digit 5. The reverse has a short horizontal mark above the right side of the eagle's head, but in a different location from the coin we sold in our 1997 ANA auction."

Heritage Auction Galleries will offer the 1856-O $20, XF Details NCS in their upcoming Signature Auction, to be held April 7-9, 2006 as the official auctioneer of the American Numismatics Association's 2006 National Money Show, at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.

Images, descriptions, and prices realized from all of Heritage's previous auctions are available in the Permanent Auction Archives at the Heritage website.

To reserve your copy of a catalog for any upcoming Heritage auction, please contact Nicole Jewell, c/o Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272.