Rare 1864 Liberty Head Double Eagle Proof Resurfaces at GreatCollections

By Charles Morgan for CoinWeek ….

A highly coveted 1864 Liberty Head Double Eagle, a challenging gold coin rarity from the Civil War era, is poised to capture the attention of coin collectors once again as it returns to auction at GreatCollections. With the bidding already reaching $300,000, anticipation is building for the sale, which concludes on August 10, 2025. This particular specimen, graded and certified by NGC as Proof 65 Ultra Cameo.

With hard money largely out of circulation and three of the United States Mint’s five branches shut down due to the war, it is commendable that the Mint’s coining department still bothered to strike Proof versions of its coins. Even more amazing is that a $20 gold coin in 1864 had roughly the same purchasing power as $730 today.

The original mintage for this Proof issue was a mere 50 coins; attrition claimed most of them. This surviving population is further constrained for private collectors, as one example resides in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution and another in the collection of the American Numismatic Society (ANS), leaving only nine to 12 available for acquisition.

This specific coin is no stranger to the auction block, having achieved a remarkable price of $613,125 when GreatCollections last offered it on September 25, 2022. That sale saw intense competition, with 71 bids driving the price well beyond its initial expectations. Its provenance, though comparatively short, includes sales by Abner Kreisberg (The Emillio Fontani Collection) and Hans M.F. Schulman in 1965 and 1966. More recently, Heritage Auctions sold the coin in 2007 for $184,000 and again in 2018 for $240,000. At both appearances, the coin was graded Proof 64 Cameo (the first appearance by NGC, the second by PCGS).

At the time of publication, the highest bid is $300,000. Bidding ends on August 10, 2025, at 7:03 PM Pacific Time.

* * *

GreatCollections has offered high-quality examples of thousands of Lincoln Cents over the years, including many top population pieces. To search through GreatCollection’s archive of over 600,000 certified coins and notes that the company has sold, please visit the GreatCollections Auction Archives.

* * *