By James McCartney – Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers ……
Our May 2018 Collectors Choice Online Auction–which takes place on Wednesday, May 23–features exciting United States, World, and Ancient coins, as well as paper money. With a focus on collector quality across every series, this sale is sure to entice collectors of every interest.
Among the more impressive U.S. coin offerings is a beautiful 1885-S Liberty Head double eagle certified MS-63+ by PCGS. Its golden-wheat surfaces display dense, satiny luster across each side. The fields are smooth, complementing the sharp design elements. It is a gorgeous Choice example with strong eye appeal and technical quality.
The 1885-S Liberty Head double eagle is highly desirable, offering both conditional rarity and overall scarcity. It has a relatively low mintage of 683,500 examples, compared to the 1,189,000 and 916,000 coins struck in 1883 and 1884 at the San Francisco Mint. It is the only reasonably attainable 1885-dated double eagle, as the Philadelphia Mint and Carson City Mint coins are considerable rarities. Because of this, the 1885-S faces additional pressure from date collectors seeking a representative of the year, and there is strong demand for examples in all grades. As with most double eagles of the era, the 1885-S is heavily plagued by bagmarks even in Uncirculated grades, and examples are difficult to locate above MS-62.
The presently offered example is among the finest survivors of this desirable mintage, with just 15 MS-63+ pieces certified by PCGS and only 41 finer. A pair of Gem MS-65 examples represent the very finest graded by PCGS.
View and bid on this MS-63+ (PCGS) 1885-S Liberty Head double eagle featured in our May 2018 Collectors Choice Online Auction by visiting www.StacksBowers.com. To consign your collection to one of our future auctions, please contact a numismatic representative today at 800-458-4646 or email [email protected]. Also, download our mobile app to view and participate in our exciting auctions via your Android or Apple device.
