Until the discovery of examples in the SS Central America treasure, the 1855-S was one of the more difficult Type One double eagles from San Francisco. Today, it is far more available but it remains hard to find in collector grades with original surfaces and rich natural color.

This pleasing, high end example is clearly not from a shipwreck and it shows very appealing natural rose and orange-gold hues. The strike is typical for the issue with some softness seen at the centers but there is more hair detail than usual and the feathers are sharp. The obverse is clean and choice with the appearance of an AU58; the reverse has some shallow scuffing in the fields which limits the grade. This piece has seemingly never been cleaned or dipped and the eye appeal is excellent for the date and grade.

There has never been a CAC approved AU55 sold at auction. In 2014, three PCGS AU55′s without CAC approval were offered and the price they sold for ranged from a low of $3,057 (for an extremely underwhelming piece) to a high of $7,638 (for an SSCA example).

For most Type One collectors, this choice 1855-S will be an important addition to their San Francisco set.

CAC has approved six in this grade with 30 finer.