The March 2010 Baltimore Auction
Pre-Bidding Ends:
3/5/2010 3:00:00 PM
Live Floor and Internet Bidding Begins:
3/5/2010 3:00:00 PM
Lot #4039.
1921 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-62 (PCGS).
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Extremely Rare 1921 Double Eagle
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| Description: |
This is a highly attractive Double Eagle at the BU level of preservation. Both sides retain full mint frost that mingles nicely with rich rose-gold patina. We find relatively few abrasions for a Double Eagle at the lower reaches of Mint State, and none of concern apart from a shallow nick at the top of Liberty's left (facing) leg that should serve as a useful pedigree marker.
The 1921 is one of the rarest of all Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles. While a mintage of 528,500 pieces is certainly limited for an issue in this series, this is not the primary reason why the '21-P is so rare in numismatic circles. The real culprit here is the wholesale destruction of undistributed examples during the gold call in of the 1930s. Writing in the 2008 revision to David W. Akers' book A Handbook of 20th Century United States Gold Coins: 1907-1933, Jeff Ambio accounts for a mere 50-60 survivors in all Mint State grades. The 1921 is the fourth-rarest "Saint" in terms of total number of Mint State coins known and the rarest in high grades after only the noncollectible 1933.
PCGS Population: 19; 16 finer.
PCGS# 9172.
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