1850 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle MS62+
In 1848, James Marshall discovered a piece of gold in the water at Sutter’s Mill. The word of gold was spread promptly through headlines across the nation. Americans from across the country packed up their belongings and began the over 2,000 mile journey westward in hopes of supporting their families. With such an immense volume of gold entering the American economy, the Coinage Act of 1849 was passed. This act created a new denomination known as the Gold Double Eagle. This new coin contained twice as much gold as the previous highest denomination, the Gold Eagle.
The Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle, designed by James B. Longacre, was struck in 1849 as a pattern coin, meaning it had not been officially approved yet but was struck as an example to evaluate the pending coin design. Only one of these coins is known to exist and it is often considered one of the most important and valuable coins produced in the world. The singular example of this coin is unattainable as it is housed in the Smithsonian Institution.
Being the first regular issue for the denomination and for the type, the 1850 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle is an invaluable historic piece of coinage. Out of the entire mintage of this stunning coin, there have only been 5 examples graded in Mint State 62+. Only 30 coins have graded higher than this example, 22 of which have been graded less than a full grade higher at Mint State 63. The finest known example of the 1850 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle has been graded Mint State 65.
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