1861 $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle NGC AU58 (CAC) - Civil War Era Gold!

Here's a dramatic issue from the first year of the Civil War. This specimen would be a good candidate to be a type coin for your collection. Gold specialist Doug Winter tells us, "I’d rank Civil War gold as one of the more popular ultra-specialties in American numismatics." NGC has graded 1,074 as AU58, with 578 finer. In CAC, there are 150 in AU58, with 120 finer.

Hermon Atkins MacNeil's Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in Philadelphia. MacNeil was a sculptor-medalist who designed the beautiful Standing Liberty quarter (1916-1930).

Winter writes, "The 1861 double eagle is a well-struck issue. Some coins have weakness in the hair but the detail is still considerably sharper than what is seen on the San Francisco issues of this era. The reverse is also well detailed with the only weakness occurring on the wing tips and the tail feathers." Considering eye-appeal, Winter writes, "There are more attractive 1861 double eagles known than any other non-shipwreck issue in the Type One series. Without much searching, the fussy collector should be able to find a choice, CAC-quality example." Well, this one already has the prestigious green CAC sticker, so your search is over!