1883-CC $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle NGC AU55

Here’s an attractive example of the ever popular Liberty head double eagle from the storied Carson City Mint. Perhaps you should consider including this piece in your collection as a type coin, as it is a more affordable option in its assigned grade of AU55. NGC has graded 305 specimens as AU55 with 464 finer. Collectors Universe gives this issue a price of $9,000.00 in AU55.

Miners at the Comstock Lode. Gold from the Lode was used to produce Double Eagles and other coins at the Carson City Mint. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The Double Eagles that originated from the Carson City Mint served two basic functions: a circulating instrument of commerce and a storehouse of value. These 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 mines of the Old West.

During the different gold rushes in the West, and for many years afterwards, paper money was contemptuously disdained. That attitude made gold coins important in daily business transactions, and they became the accepted method of payment in the West. More than most other Liberty head $20 gold pieces, those from the Carson City Mint remain popular and have grown in value over the years. Among the reasons for this is the romance associated with the Old West, the Comstock Lode, and the Carson City Mint.