1852-O $20 MS(PCGS#8907)

December 2025 Showcase Auction - The James A. Stack, Sr. Collection Part I

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

22221

等级

MS61

价格

237,360

详细说明

The fields of this outstanding New Orleans Mint double eagle offer a lovely mint finish that is bright and semi-reflective. Warm honey undertones backlight dominant color in medium golden-wheat. This impressive coin is exceptionally well preserved for an 1852-O twenty, has outstanding eye appeal, and ranks among the finest certified for the issue by PCGS.<p>Even though the New Orleans Mint had produced double eagles in quantity in both 1850 and 1851, the coiners were still working out difficulties found in producing such a large gold coin with precision. Emphasis seemed to be more on quantity than quality, leaving many with uneven or weak strikes. In the end, 190,000 specimens came off the Mint's presses in 1852, which helped to make this one of the more readily available of all New Orleans double eagles. As with most gold coins produced in the Antebellum South, these coins entered circulation where they would remain. Numismatics in America was still in its infancy in the early 1850s and there was essentially no interest in mintmarks, which when combined with the denomination's high face value meant that few examples of the issue were intentionally saved. The Civil War disrupted monetary circulation patterns drastically, causing many to be used for overseas commerce or otherwise withdrawn from domestic use. When double eagle holdings from overseas started to be repatriated back to these shores in the 20th century, most surviving specimens bore evidence of their extended storage in large sacks, as well as the years of commercial use in the mid to late 19th century.<p>It is estimated that only 400 to 600 examples of the 1852-O double eagle can be accounted for today, most in the VF and EF range, with a very small number of coins at the AU level or above. This comparative availability at the middle circulated grade levels has made the issue especially popular for type collectors seeking just a single New Orleans double eagle. This popularity, in turn, has resulted in quite a bit of competitive pressure for the few examples known at the AU level and above. This situation is even more pronounced at the Mint State level, where at best only about a dozen Uncirculated examples of the issue may still be extant.