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1861-S $20 Liberty. Pacquet PCGS AU53

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:40,000.00 USD Estimated At:80,000.00 - 90,000.00 USD
1861-S $20 Liberty. Pacquet PCGS AU53
<Our item number 127814><B>1861-S &#36;20 Liberty. Pacquet reverse. PCGS graded AU-53.</B> PCGS certification #12243417. A very scarce date. Mostly untoned with luster a-plenty around the stars and legends and clearly evident within the devices. Identifiable by a small mark on the neck and another between the lowest curl and the 61 in the date. Rims are outstanding.<BR><BR>The Paquet reverse was not generally recognized as a variety until the 1930s. A number of pieces were located in Europe some two decades years later, and while these have increased the population of Paquet &#36;20 gold modestly, but the Type still remains the scarcest S-mint double eagle. The reduced protective rim on the reverse was the primary reason for the cancellation of Anthony Paquet&#39;s modifications. This led to undue wear on the coins, which is one reason so few high grade examples are available. This particular specimen shows a number of small abrasions<BR><BR>Anthony C. Paquet, assistant engraver to Longacre, modified the reve rse design, supposedly as an improvement. Lettering is in a taller and narrower font, which proved unacceptable after a few were struck in Philadelphia. Today, just three of these survive. In San Francisco, 19,250 examples were minted before orders were received to discontinue use of the reverse die. Thus, a highly collectible rarity was created. The example shown here is among the finest AU survivors from the San Francisco coinage. <B>Pop 9; 7 finer; 5 in 55; 2 in 58.</B> <B>&#40;PCGS # 8936&#41;</B>. <BR>Estimated Value &#36;80,000 - 90,000. <BR><BR>Our item number 127814<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/44jpegs/127814.jpg"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/44jpegs/127814N2.jpg"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/44jpegs/127814N3.jpg"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/44jpegs/127814N4.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>