1855 $20.00 NGC AU58 CAC

Along with the 1856, the 1855 is my favorite "sleeper" issue among Type One double eagles. There used to be other dates I put in this group, such as the 1862, 1863 and 1866-S No Motto, but these dates have been discovered and are no longer affordable like the 1855. The present example is a delightful slider with nearly full mint luster in a hard, satiny texture as is typical for high quality 1855 double eagles. The color is a light green-gold hue and the surfaces are exceptionally clean with just a few tiny abrasions visible to the naked eye. In MS60, Trends jumps to $11,500 and if you can find a decent quality Uncirculated example (no easy feat, given the scarcity of this issue in Mint State) you will probably be spending in the area of $12,500 to $15,000. This is one of just two examples in AU58 (with one finer) that have been approved by CAC; the other (a PCGS AU58) brought $5,175 in Heritage's April 2011 sale.