1859-O $20 AU58 PCGS....

Description

Important AU58 1859-O Double Eagle

1859-O $20 AU58 PCGS. Every New Orleans double eagle coined after 1853 is an important rarity. While the 1854-O and 1856-O issues are recognized as premier U.S. coin rarities, other dates like this 1859-O (9,100-piece mintage) are less well-known. Doug Winter (2002) calls this issue the fourth rarest New Orleans twenty, following the 1855-O that ranks third. He writes:

"The 1859-O double eagle is a very scarce issue in all grades. It is most often seen in Very Fine to Extremely Fine grades and it is rare in About Uncirculated. Most pieces in this grade range are no better than AU53, and the 1859-O becomes very rare in properly graded AU55."

PCGS and NGC combined have certified about 110 1859-O double eagles. The two services rate a mere three coins as Mint State.
This near-Mint State example exhibits a better strike than ordinarily seen. Specifically, all obverse stars are bold, and most of Liberty's hair is strong. The wing tips and tail feathers reveal some of the usual softness, but the remaining reverse motif details are sharp. The surfaces display exceptional, nearly complete medium yellow luster and hints of reflectivity near the devices. A few minute contact marks are scattered about, but these are fewer and of less severity than ordinarily seen. This is significant, because Winter writes: "Almost every known 1859-O double eagle shows deep abrasions on the surfaces."
Considering the above-average strike and lightly marked surfaces, this is a truly exceptional offering that will draw serious attention from New Orleans Mint collectors and those of high quality, rare gold coinage. Population: 4 in 58, 1 finer (2/09).(Registry values: N4719)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 269B, PCGS# 8927, Greysheet# 9895)

Weight: 33.44 grams

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper

Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.

View Certification Details from PCGS