LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2007 Long Beach, CA Sig. Coin Auction #430  / 

4920

1861-S $20 Paquet AU50 NGC. If the telegraph lines had

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:110.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1861-S $20 Paquet AU50 NGC. If the telegraph lines had
<B>1861-S $20 Paquet AU50 NGC.</B></I> If the telegraph lines had been completed to San Francisco, the 1861-S Paquet double eagle would probably not exist. New dies utilizing the design of Anthony Paquet were prepared in Philadelphia and shipped to San Francisco. The new reverse dies were actually produced late in 1860 and shipped West so that they would be available for use at the San Francisco Mint soon after the new year. Similar dies were placed into service in Philadelphia, where a problem was immediately detected. The Paquet reverse dies were not serviceable to produce an adequate coinage. Mint Director James Ross Snowden immediately sent word by telegraph to the San Francisco Mint instructing that facility to use the old dies left over from 1860. The message quickly reached Missouri, but then took another month to reach the San Francisco Mint by pony express. By the time this happened, production of 19,250 of these Paquet double eagles had taken place, and the coins released into circulation.<BR> This piece is a delightful representative of this special coinage issue with light yellow-gold color. The surfaces are lightly marked as usual, including a few noticeable bagmarks on each side, but the quality is finer than most. Adequate portions of mint luster remain visible, especially near the devices. While a few finer pieces exist, this example is far nicer than most survivors.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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