1872 $20.00 NGC MS61 CAC

While slightly more than 250,000 examples were struck, the 1872 is a scarce coin in Uncirculated and an issue that is very rare in properly graded MS62 and above. Most of the surviving Uncirculated examples are in the MS60 to MS61 range and are characterized by excessively abraded surfaces and bright, character-free luster. This example, which was recently uncovered in Europe, has just about the best color that I can recall having seen on an 1872 double eagle with very intense glowing orange-gold and pale greenish hues. There are some light scuffs in the fields but none are deep and detracting and the high spots lack any friction or signs of wear. There have been five auction records for MS61 examples of this issue since March 2008 and the results have ranged from a low of $8,625 to a high of $9,775. There is a huge price jump for this date from MS61 to MS62, making a high end MS61 coin like this a great value for the advanced double eagle collector.