The 1881 inaugurates a run of (extremely) low mintage Liberty double eagles from the Philadelphia Mint that continues through 1887. A few of the dates in this run — 1883, 1884 and 1887 — are actually Proof-only affairs, while for the remainder the 1881 has the most generous delivery of 2,199 pieces. That this is a rare issue should be obvious even to the casual observer and, indeed, Q. David Bowers (A Guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins, 2004) confirms this by providing an estimate of "no more than a few dozen" extant in all grades.