AMONG THE FINEST KNOWN 1861-S DOUBLE EAGLES, GRADED MS63 BY PCGS AND ex James Stack

1861-S is a famous date amongst Type One double eagle collectors as it represents a year in which two distinct versions were made: the regular issue, and the rarer Paquet design. In Unciruclated, the 1861-S remains scarce although there have been a few dozen added to the population from shipwrecks, most notably from the S.S. Republic. It can be stated with virtual certainty that this coin was the single finest known example when it was acquired by Mr. Stack and, in my opinion, it is still among the two or three best 1861-S $20s that I’ve seen or sold.

Two things really stand out about this coin. The first is its rich, 100% natural warm rose-gold and orange color with some deeper hues at the bottom of the reverse. The second is the lack of significant marks on the surfaces which is really unusual for this date.

This exact coin is the sole PCGS MS63 to ever sell at auction.

The current PCGS population is just two in MS63 with one finer (MS63+).

Ex Stack’s Bowers 12/2025:20032 where it brought $50,400.

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