1894-S $20 Liberty Head Double Eagle PCGS MS62 (CAC)

Here's an attractive piece that could be a type coin for your collection. Liberty Head double eagles have always been popular, and now you have an opportunity to acquire one that won't break the bank. PCGS has graded 2,652 as MS62 with 1,942 finer. In CAC, there are 25 in MS62 with 92 finer.

Original drawing by James B. Longacre from the Longacre family archives. It sold in August of 2022 for $28,800.00 at Heritage Auctions.

This work stands apart from other extant Longacre drawings, which present the evolution of his concepts of Liberty, eagles, wreaths, and shields, many of such were employed on pattern and regular coinage of the time. This sketch calls to mind a design in production in the early days of Longacre's tenure, the Liberty head gold series that launched in 1838. Therefore this work may be Longacre's initial foray into recreating Liberty for the one dollar and twenty dollar gold coins.

When comparing the present sketch to the Liberty Head gold, were find a more feminine rendering with a delicately crafted chin, mouth, and nose. Longacre's rendition of Liberty is a much more casual one, in contrast to Gobrecht's formal, statuesque presentation. Writes Heritage Auctions, "The locks around the neck are more generous than in Gobrecht's design, and we see this idea carried further on the double eagle (as well as the Type One gold dollar) beginning in 1849, where the hairstyle becomes a fundamental aspect of the overall design. Longacre's headpiece is also wider than Gobrecht's, as compared to the portrait, and this design feature is reflected in the double eagle as well."