1872 $20 Liberty Head Obverse Die
SOLD
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Click on the above images for larger pictures.

As incredible as it seems, this is the second $20 Liberty Head Obverse Die that we have handled in the last two years. The first Die that we discovered was an 1882 Type III, which eventually sold for approximately $20,000 last year in a Bowers & Merena Auction.

This United States 1872 $20 Liberty Head Obverse Die is of the rarer Type II variety, which were struck for only 11 years from 1866 to 1876. This die struck the obverse design of the $20 Liberty Head double eagle gold coin over 130 years ago and is one of the only known dies from the nineteenth century that struck gold coins.

Not only would this be an amazing centerpiece to a United States gold coin collection, it is of such numismatic importance that it could be placed in a historical museum or collection of Gold Rush artifacts and antiquities.

This Die was recently discovered and purchased by a dealer whose specialty is antiquities and ancient coins. We were fortunate to have been contacted by him and immediately purchased this rare numismatic treasure.

Fred Weinberg, PCGS authenticator for mint errors, numismatic author, scholar, and expert on the minting process, who examined the 1882 $20 Liberty Head Die noted that "this die, possibly one of two known $20 Gold Liberty dies, is the only one available on the market at this time, and not displayed in a Museum."

Doug Winter, numismatic author, scholar, and expert on rare United States gold coins, also examined the 1882 $20 Liberty Head Die and stated that "it would be hard to imagine a more significant piece of numismatic history for the gold coin collector than this 1882 Double Eagle obverse die."

In 1872 Double Eagles were produced at the Philadelphia, Carson City and San Francisco Mints. Here are the original mintage figures for the three Branch Mints:

Philadelphia -
Carson City -
San Francisco -
251,880
26,900
780,000

1872 is a scarcer date in the short lived series of the Type II $20 gold piece.

This Type II $20 Liberty Head Obverse Die is a true numismatic rarity.

The below image has been reversed, clearly showing the date, 1872.
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Click below for information, photos, a featured article on coinfacts.com and authentication letters on the 1882 $20 Liberty Type III Obverse Die that we recently discovered. It sold for approximately $20,000 last year with competitive bidding in a Bowers & Merena Auction.

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Click here for featured story.