RARE 1875-CC GRADED AU53 BY PCGS

An estimated 100-125 1875-CC eagles exist from an original mintage of 7,715. As one would expect, the majority of the surviving examples grade VF-EF and there are maybe 12-15 known in the various AU grades. This date becomes very rare in the AU55/AU58 range and there appear to be just two known in Uncirculated: an NGC MS60 which sold for $84,000 in the Heritage 2/18 auction, and a PCGS MS62 which I am not familiar with but which has existed since at least 2012 if not earlier.

This example has the body and luster of an AU55 but it has been properly graded AU53 by PCGS due to a noticeable scrape on the neck of Liberty and another in the lower left field opposite star two. The strike is a bit sharper than normal with just a slight amount of weakness on the curls directly above Liberty’s ear and good definition at the central reverse. The color is a light yellow-gold with a slight greenish tint. This is among the more lustrous 1875-CC eagles I have seen as most of the ones graded AU53 by PCGS are somewhat dull.

The only PCGS AU53 1875-CC eagle graded AU53 by PCGS to sell at auction since August 2012 was a nice CAC approved example which garnered a strong $34,800 as Heritage 12/17: 3271. I have only sold one 1875-CC graded higher than this in over five years: a choice PCGS/CAC AU55 which I sold to an Eastern specialist in 2017. A PCGS AU55 from the Nevada Collection realized $47,000 on January 2017.

There are very few finer 1875-CC eagles than this and the present example narrowly misses qualifying at the tail end of the Condition Census.

From the Northern California Collection of Carson City Eagles and acquired from NYGM in September 1999; earlier owned by Charley Tuppin.

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