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1849 mg03276A 1849 mg03276Ar

J-117, Struck in Brass, later Gilt.  Considered to be Unique, with just this sole specimen traced.

And this is one of the most significant coins that we (or possibly anyone else) has ever offered.

This is the unique gilt brass pattern example of what many consider the most desirable coin in the American series, the unique 1849 Liberty Head Double Eagle permanently ensconced in the National Coin Collection in the Smithsonian Institution.

This specimen can be traced to its last public appearance, New York Coin and Stamp’s April 1892 sale of the George Woodside Collection, lot #38, where it was described as follows:

1849 Double Eagle: same as regular issue of 1850: this piece has always been regarded as the gem of the Woodside Collection and of the Davis Cabinet from whence it came: it is now offered for the first time in public sale: one specimen in gold in the mint cabinet and this piece in brass (but gold-plated by Mr. Davis to keep it from tarnishing) are the only existing specimens from these dies; several scratches, otherwise uncirculated.

The obverse of this coin is plated in the Woodside sale, and the plate match (including the pedigree marker on Miss Liberty’s cheek) is unmistakable.

And while one could wish for a perfect, pristine example, the reality is that such a coin simply does not exist.

The present specimen is, and will likely forever be, the only example of any 1849 Liberty Head Double Eagle in private hands.

Ex New York Coin and Stamp’s sale of the George Woodside Collection, as noted, lot #38; earlier the collection of Robert Coulton Davis.

(Editor’s note:  This was an April Fool’s gag, 2012.  Sorry.)

To order or inquire about this item, call us at 1-800-Coins-99 or email us at John@CoinRaritiesOnline.com or complete the form at the bottom of this page.