1874-CC $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle PCGS XF45

Here’s a great circulated example of an economic staple of the West. Just imagine how many hands held this coin in Carson City, Virginia City, and around the Old West! PCGS has graded 316 as XF45 with 654 finer. Collector’s Universe gives this issue a price of $6,000.00 in XF45.

According to David Akers, the 1874-CC is only relatively scarce as a date, and the collector who would like an example of this date should have little trouble tracking one down. He writes that “almost the entire population of 1874-CC twenties grades EF or less, and in AU condition the date is surprisingly scarce. In mint state, the 1874-CC is rare and in choice or gem Unc. the date is little short of unobtainable.”

Illustration of Carson City in 1877. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The Double Eagles that emanated from the Carson City Mint served two basic functions: a circulating instrument of commerce and a storehouse of value. The big $20 gold coins were the easiest way to mint, transport and trade the great amount of gold that had recently been extracted from the earth of the Old West. During the numerous gold rushes in the West, and for many years afterwards, paper money was contemptuously derided.

That attitude made gold coins the accepted method of payment in the Old West. That is why so many Carson City double eagles are found in relatively low grades today in the 21st century. More than most other Liberty head $20 gold pieces, those from the Carson City Mint remain popular and have grown exponentially in value over the years. Among the reasons for this is the romance and history associated with the Old West, the Comstock Lode, and the Carson City Mint.