Another nice, fresh example with medium natural green-gold color on the lightly marked, lustrous surfaces. The price spread between AU50 and AU55 for this date is not that great, meaning that this is a practical option if a collector wants to "step up" to a higher grade.
Well struck and clean for the grade with nice natural green-gold color. At less than $3,000, coins such as this are very good value and represent a nice "double play" with nearly an ounce of bullion coupled with genuine numismatic scarcity.
This straight-from-Europe 1858-S is one of the nicer examples of this date that I have handled and I have owned some gorgeous 1858-S double eagles in the last few years. This is a "gem slider" with great surfaces and very attractive deep color but without the extensive marks typical to the issue. There is some dirt in the protected areas and a small obverse grease stain (as made) can be seen on Liberty's jawline. This is a very scarce date in properly graded AU58 and MS60 Trends jumps to $10,500. If you can find an MS61, you will pay at least $12,000-14,000 and, in all likelihood, it won't be as attractive as this coin. I love the value that choice AU58 Type One double eagles present and coins like this seem like a really good deal to me.
Dark and dirty with a decidedly "Euro" look that is almost two-tone in appearance on account of the contrast between the fields and the high spots. There is a good deal of luster below the deep orange-gold color. Some marks in the left obverse field limit the grade. Not an easy date to find in grades higher than this and an issue seldom found with original color.
I'm a big fan of the San Francisco gold dollar coinage. They are very inexpensive in circulated gradces but are scarce and very easy to assemble a set. The 1858-S has a mintage of just 10,000 coins and it is almost never seen in Uncirculated. This nice AU58 is well struck and shows splashes of orange-gold color on the surfaces. An old reverse scratch runs from the rim at around 7:00 to the bow.
This is exactly the sort of coin I am describing when I write about "super sliders" and I have a special fondness for Type One Liberty Head double eagles with this sort of visual appeal. This coin really has no wear of any consequence on its surfaces but there is just a hair too much friction to call it an MS61. That said, it is lovely with nearly full luster, razor sharp detail and surfaces that are almost totally free of the severe abrasions which are almost always seen on this date. The 1858-S double eagle is quite scarce in properly graded AU58 and it is very rare in Uncirculated. If you could find one, a PCGS MS61 example of this date will cost in excess of $12,500 (probably more with a CAC sticker) and I seriously doubt you would see enough difference between this high-end slider and an MS61 to merit the doubling in price. CAC has approved only three examples of this date in AU58 and just a single example better than this.
Lustrous with nice light yellow-gold colors that show a tinge of rose on either side. This piece has quite a bit of body remaining and it didn't see a whole lot of circulation. The marks and abrasions on the surfaces appear to be more the results of having spent time loose in a bag with other coins and becoming scuffed as a result. The 1858-S double eagle is a tougher date that doesn't have a large number of higher grade survivors as a result of shipwrecks. In fact, the 1858-S is very rare in Uncirculated and hard to find even in properly graded AU55 to AU58.
If you are familiar with this date, you are aware of the fact that the 1858-S is inevitably found with deep abrasions and dull, lifeless surfaces. It is quite scarce in properly graded AU58 and rare in Uncirculated with probably no more than twenty or so known, mostly in the MS60 to MS61 range. The present example has exceptional surfaces for the date with almost no marks atop soft, frosty luster. The color is exceptional as well with lovely light rose and green-gold hues seen on both sides. There is the barest trace of rub on the high spots of the obverse while the reverse grades at least MS61+ on its own. This is as nice a slider example of this date that I have seen. Trends jumps to $10,500 in MS60 and a nice, fresh Uncirculated example--if you can find one--is likely to cost you $11,000-13,000 or more.
The 1858-S is sort of an overlooked date but it is actually rather scarce in the lower AU grades and very hard to find with nice color and surfaces. This fresh "Euro" example shows rich pinkish-gold, green and orange hues with deeper highlights on the relief areas. It has the body and detail of an AU55 but just a few too many ticks in the fields to grade it as such.
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