1856-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle, 17C PCGS AU58 (CAC) Ex.SS Central America

Here’s an outstanding example of the 1856-S $20 Liberty for you to add to your collection. Graded by PCGS and housed in their exclusive "Gold Foil Label" holder, this example is variety 17C (Full Serif, Bold Left S).

Gold specialist Doug Winter writes on the popularity of collecting Type 1 Liberty head double eagles (1850-1866): "If I had to pick a single event as the impetus for the surge in interest for these coins, I would go with the discovery of the SS Central America shipwreck. I vividly remember the massive amount of interest these coins generated among collectors and non-collectors alike."

There were 102 of the 17C variety coins retrieved from the SS Central America (SSCA). Of those, there are 22 graded AU58, with 14 finer. In CAC, there are 2 of the 17C in AU58, with 5 finer.

San Francisco Mint operations in 1856: "Running the gold into ingots.” Photo: Library of Congress.