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*Highlight OF ENTIRE AUCTION SERIES* 1866-s No Motto Gold Liberty $20 Choice AU/BU Slider+ By USCG (

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:64,687.50 - 129,375.00 USD
*Highlight OF ENTIRE AUCTION SERIES* 1866-s No Motto Gold Liberty $20 Choice AU/BU Slider+ By USCG (
***Auction Highlight*** 1866-s No Motto Gold Liberty Double Eagle $20 Graded Choice AU/BU Slider+ By USCG. HIGHLIGHT OF THE ENTIRE AUCTION SERIES. Up for Auction is the Legendary 1866-s NO MOTTO $20 Gold Double Eagle The Without Motto [compared to the 1866-S With Motto] is by far the rarest. It is actually one of the rarest double eagles of this type. Nearly all of the coins seen of the date are very well worn or heavily bag marked. There are probably no more than 200 examples known in all grades. Extremely Fine pieces are rare, and in About Uncirculated the issue is considered a major rarity. The Smithsonian specimen grades just Extremely Fine.The present piece, as expected for a lightly circulated gold coin from the Old West, the surfaces show some abrasions. The most mentionable are one behind liberty's head and two under her neck. With just a handful of examples existing in au58 and higher, those marks will serve as pedigree identifiers. In keeping with the AU58 grade, there is almost complete mint luster found throughout both sides, and the light, attractive reddish patina further enhances the appeal. The unexpected Union defeat at Manassas, Virginia in 1861 struck deep at the morale of the nation. Reverend M.R. Watkinson of Ridleyville, Pennsylvania sent a petition to Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase requesting that that an inscription be placed acknowledging "Almighty God in some form in our coins." Chase approved of the request and instructed the Director of the Mint to create designs and prepare patterns with various versions of wording for proposal to Congress. The various proposals for the motto were reviewed and Congress passed the Act of April 22, 1864 which specified the addition of IN GOD WE TRUST on the newly created two-cent coin. It was not until the Act of March 3, 1865 was passed that the motto was to be added to all gold coins above the three-dollar denomination beginning in 1866 in addition to silver coins above the dime. Towards the end of 1865, the Philadelphia Mint prepared 1866-dated dies and shipped them to San Francisco in anticipation of the start of production. However, the new reverse dies were not yet ready, the San Francisco Mint proceeded with production of 1866 half dollars, half eagles, eagles, and double eagles using the older No Motto reverse dies then on hand. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Mint refrained from production until the dies bearing the motto were available. It was not until at least March of 1866 that the new reverse dies arrived at the San Francisco facility and the older dies withdrawn. It is estimated that 120,000 double eagles were struck with the No Motto reverse design using two dies, though mintage records of the time do not differentiate between the two varieties. As with much of the output from the San Francisco Mint of the era, the 1866-S No Motto double eagles entered commerce promptly and remained there for years of heavy use. Today some 200 or so surviving examples are known, the vast majority of which in VF or EF condition. Above that, the issue is a formidable condition rarity and for all intents and purposes unavailable in grades higher than AU. The coin at hand is the lone au58+ example, and only 3 are known Finer. I am including a picture of the ms60 example, and the ms61 example, as well as an NGC au58 example, which I feel is terribly over graded and the price realized says as much. I feel its an au55. Please compare these three to ours. In most regards ours surpasses all three. We are very proud to bring you this crowning coin of our Fall Auctions. I wish you the best of Luck. A Corey's Pick, Bid to Win, Don't let it get Away, you might not find its equal Coin. I give this coin my highest recommendation