1871-CC $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle PCGS XF45

Here’s a powerhouse coin to add to your numismatic holdings. Rich with history of the gold fields of the Old West and the Carson City Mint, you will beam with pride every time you hold it in your hand.

Ron Guth writes of this issue on PCGS Coinfacts: “The 1871-CC $20 is decidedly rare and it ranks as one of the most popular dates in the series. Among the Carson City $20's, it is second only to the legendary 1870-CC. Collectors will have a tough time finding an 1871-CC $20 in AU or better conditions. In Mint State, the 1871-CC is exceedingly rare.” PCGS has graded 49 as XF45 with 42 finer. Collectors Universe prices this issue at $70,000.00 in XF45.

The Carson City Mint, where this rarity was struck in 1871. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Gold specialist David Akers writes, “Compared to all other twenties, the 1871-CC ranks in the top 15% of the series in overall rarity and it is tied for first place in rarity according to average grade.”  There was modest numismatic interest in Liberty head double eagles overall, and branch mint issues in particular in 1871. Consequently, few specimens were saved by collectors at the time. The reported mintage of this issue was 17,387.

In The Confident Carson City Collector, Rusty Goe writes that the 1871-CC double eagle is "the second rarest date in a nineteen-piece set of one of the most powerful and captivating series in all of U.S. numismatics."  An instrument of everyday commerce in the Old West, the surviving population of the 1871-CC is approximately 155-220 specimens in all grades today.