Gem Condition Rarity 1894-S Double Eagle Featured in June 2026 Showcase Auction

Our June Showcase consignment deadline is approaching so if you want to include your United States coins or Numismatic American please contact us quickly at [email protected]. One coin consigned to our Rarities Night session that stuck out to me is the extremely elusive gem 1894-S double eagle. This is a rare issue in Gem Mint State preservation, and the present example is one of the two finest certified that have been stickered by CAC. It is a thoroughly PQ coin with both sides aglow with vivid golden-apricot color. The luster is full and satiny on surfaces that are as nice as would be expected for the assigned grade. A razor-sharp strike enhances the desirability of this highly significant Liberty Head gold coin.

The San Francisco Mint produced 1,048,550 double eagles of this date, most of which were used in overseas transactions. We estimate 6,000 to 10,000+ Mint State examples of the 1894-S can be found today, generally in lower Uncirculated grades, though MS-63 and MS-64 examples can be found with patience. In the 1930s and 1940s an EF example was considered a top-notch coin, though that changed after World War II when quantities of the issue were returned to America by coin dealers and others. As with so many other popular and widely collected Liberty Head double eagles, however, the 1894-S remains a formidable condition rarity in Gem Mint State. This is one of the very finest examples available, a breathtakingly beautiful coin that is sure to see spirited bidding at auction.

For more information about the Stack’s Bowers Galleries June 2026 Showcase Auction visit StacksBowers.com. To consign your coins or paper money to one of our future sales call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected].