1885 $20 AU 55

Description

A monster gold rarity! OK, now we’re going to talk about real rarity. Twenty dollars was a lot of month in the 1800’s. So very few people could afford to collect $20 gold pieces. Many issues are rare in all grades and nearly impossible to find in Choice or Gem condition. We feel they are one of the most underappreciated and highest potential areas of the rare coin market. Let’s put it this way. If Warren Buffett or Bill Gates came to us for advice, we tell them to put together a set of $20 Liberties. A lot of what went on with $20 Liberties was directly tied to what was going on economically in our country. In 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War, gold coins were pulled from circulation and hoarded as it was unclear in the early stages of the conflict which side would prevail…and also the government had started issuing paper money. Gold coins began circulating again in 1878. At the time, there wasn’t s lot of demand for them in the Eastern states, so the Philadelphia Mint struck very few. In fact for the 1883, 1884, and 1887, only proofs were struck…all major rarities today. For the circulation strikes, they were some of the lowest mintages in all of U.S. coin mintages, and they are rarities today in all grades…1881: only 2199 struck with just 40 to 60 known today, 1882: just 575 struck with only 25 to 30 known today, 1885: just 751 struck and only about 100 known today, and 1886: only 1000 struck and only about 40 to 60 known today in all grades. These are among the lowest mintages for all U.S. coins. To give you some perspective, in 1883, the San Francisco Mint struck 1.18 million coins, and in 36 years PCGS has graded 3846 examples in all grades. For the 1904 Philadelphia, PCGS has graded 220,514 coins. But for the 1885 Philadelphia, PCGS has only graded a mere 49 specimens in all grades. This is a very nice Almost Uncirculated (AU53) with just a tinge of high point wear and good original color and luster. A monster rari