4217

1866-S $20 No Motto AU58 PCGS. This issue is the only

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:90,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1866-S $20 No Motto AU58 PCGS. This issue is the only
<B>1866-S<$20> No Motto AU58 PCGS.</B></I> This issue is the only Type One double eagle coined in 1866, and it is an important rarity in the series. Although the mintage totaled 120,000 coins, a very small percentage survived, and today only about 200 examples still exist. Nearly all of the survivors are moderately to heavily circulated, with any AU grade coin being elusive. A review of our archives indicates that this example is only the sixth AU-grade specimen we have sold since 1993. Authors Doug Winter and Adam Crum summed up this issue in their book on the Type One double eagles: "The 1866-S No Motto is the second scarcest San Francisco double eagle. It is usually seen in the Very Fine to Extremely Fine grade range and accurately graded Extremely Fine-45 pieces are rare. In About Uncirculated, this date is very rare and it becomes extremely rare in About Uncirculated-55. There are currently no 1866-S No Motto double eagles known in any Uncirculated grade."<BR> The surfaces of this example have a few scuffs and abrasions, including a couple deeper marks on the obverse. However, this is still a finer coin than nearly any other that survives. Both sides are essentially fully lustrous with only a trace of wear. It has rich honey-gold color with traces of pinkish toning. The central obverse and reverse design elements are boldly defined, with some peripheral weakness.<BR> The obverse dies with the new date were sent to San Francisco in November 1865, for use after the first of the new year. It was not until March 1866 that new reverse dies were sent, containing the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Until those arrived, personnel on the west coast had to use leftover reverse dies from the 1865 coinage. Population: 1 in 58, 0 finer (3/06). <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid. This lot is being auctioned in conjunction with a live floor auction by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers, and all other information should be considered preliminary. Lot:4217 <BR><BR><B>Winning Notification and Billing:</B> After the FINAL session in this auction is complete, Heritage will send e-mail and snail mail invoices. This process normally takes several days. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers, and all other information should be considered preliminary. <BR><BR>This auction will be conducted on a live auction floor and over the Internet through eBay Live. If you choose to place an absentee bid, please take a moment to <font color='#0000ff'><u><a href='http://pages.ebay.com/liveauctions/help/before/laabsentee.html'>learn how eBay Live absentee bidding works</a></u></font><font color='#000000'>