1863-S $20.00 NGC AU55

Medium S mintmark variety. This example seems to have original surfaces and its "Euro" style appearance makes me almost certain it is not from one of the shipwrecks that are the source of many higher grade 1863-S double eagles. The strike is well above average for the date with nearly full radial lines within the obverse stars and some definition on the hair strands. This date is actually fairly tough in this grade with original surfaces and I personally like the naked-eye appearance quite a bit.

There are two mintmark varieties for this date: the Small S and the Medium S. The latter appears to be more scarce.