1877-CC $20 MS62 PCGS. Variety 1-B....

Description

1877-CC Liberty Double Eagle, MS62
Elusive Issue in High Grade
Tied for Finest Certified

1877-CC $20 MS62 PCGS. Variety 1-B. Mintage of double eagles declined significantly at the Carson City Mint in 1877, the first year of the Type Three design. Introduction of the Type Three motifs, with DOLLARS completely spelled out in the denomination, was especially significant for branch mint type collectors, as this represents the only major design change that occurred during the working life of the Carson City Mint. Only 42,565 Liberty twenties were struck at the famous Western facility that year and few high-quality examples were saved by contemporary collectors, as there was little numismatic interest in branch mint issues in general, and double eagles in particular, at that time. Collecting high denomination gold coins only became popular in the late 1930s in this country, by which time the Carson City double eagles had been circulating for decades, suffering significant wear and attrition along the way. The typical example seen is in the XF-AU grade range today and Mint State coins are rare.

The 1872-CC began appearing at auction at least as early as lot 2952 of the Sloan, Lenz and Others Collections (Thomas Elder, 1/1936), "1877. $20. Carson City. Ex. Fine, with lustre. V. rare." The 1877-CC was listed at $60 in the Standard Catalogue of United States Coins & Currency that year. Recent sales include the MS62 PCGS specimen in lot 6038 of the FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2017), that realized $64,625.

The present coin is an impressive MS62 example, with well-detailed design elements and dramatic clash marks on both sides. Some fine die cracks are evident through the tops of the letters in the denomination and from the rim to Y in TWENTY. The vivid orange-gold surfaces show the expected number of minor contact marks for the grade, with attractive highlights of lilac in selected areas. Vibrant mint luster radiates from both sides. A small grease strike-through at star 13 acts as a pedigree marker. This coin is tied with five other examples at PCGS and five specimens at NGC for the title of finest certified (11/19). With its combination of highest available technical quality and outstanding eye appeal, this piece should find a home in the finest collection or Registry Set.
Ex: Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 9/2007), lot 3838.
From The "So Cal" Collection. (Registry values: N7079)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 26AZ, PCGS# 8983, Greysheet# 9926)

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.

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