1853 Liberty Head Double Eagle - 3/2

Coin Details

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Description

This is the 1853/2 overdate variety of the 1853 Liberty Head Double Eagle. Dies were expensive, and a serviceable die left over at the end of a year was often kept and re-dated rather than destroyed: the new digits were punched directly over the old ones. The earlier date survives underneath wherever its strokes fall outside the digits punched over it, which is why an overdate is read from the shapes that do not belong to the date as printed. The effect is in the die, so every coin struck from it carries the same remnant in the same position. Any mintage given below counts the entire issue for this date and mint, not this variety: a variety comes from one die or a few, and how many coins they struck was never separately recorded. Produced at the Philadelphia Mint, the 1853 Liberty Head Double Eagle - 3/2 is part of the Liberty Head Double Eagles 1849-1907 series. The 1853 Liberty Head Double Eagle issue as a whole had a mintage of 1.3 million; how many coins carry this variety is unknown. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM surrounded by a glory of rays. Double eagles were struck at Philadelphia and New Orleans. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 33.44 grams, 34 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #8909.