1881-CC $10.00 PCGS AU58 CAC

A tremendously appealing "slider" example with fully original deep orange-gold and reddish color that is contrasted by some deeper hues on the relief details. This coin probably never saw circulation but it has light friction on the high spots from being transported overseas in a bag. That said, it is still more attractive than most CC eagles that I see in MS60 and MS61 holders. The 1881-CC is the most available Carson City eagle from the 1880's but it is still many times more scarce than the 1890-CC, 1891-CC and 1892-CC both in terms of overall and high grade rarity. Most of the nicer 1881-CC eagles that rare available have been found in overseas sources in the last decade or so. This date remains scarce in Uncirculated and very rare in properly graded MS62 and higher. The last PCGS AU58 to sell at auction was Heritage 1/11: 7092 which brought $3,738; the present example is far more original and far more appealing in my opinion.

1871-CC $10.00 PCGS AU55

The 1871-CC eagle is an intriguing date. It is the second most available Carson City eagle from this decade (after the 1874-CC) but, like all the early issue gold and silver from this mint (i.e., pre-1875), it circulated very extensively in the Western states and, as a result, it is exceedingly rare in high grades. I am aware of just two Uncirculated 1871-CC eagles and it is a very rare coin in properly graded AU55 to AU58. This lustrous example is the first higher grade 1871-CC that I have seen in many years that is not overly bright from a recent dipping. It shows nice medium yellow-gold color with a slight reddish-orange tint as it is tilted towards the light. The surfaces show an acceptable number of marks for the grade with a few scuffs in the fields and two small reeding marks (from contact with another coin) on Liberty's neck. I think this coin is significantly nicer than Stack's-Bowers 2011 ANA: 7730 (graded AU58 by NGC and sold for $25,875) and it is the first PCGS AU55 to be available since Heritage 2007 ANA: 1975 which sold for $19,550 in a market which was far less appreciative of high quality CC eagles than the current one. There are a few auction records of over $25,000 for PCGS AU55's in 2006. A very important coin that will, no doubt, find a home in a very important collection of Liberty Head eagles.