1851-O $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle MS-61 PCGS

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The year 1851 marked a significant era in American coinage, highlighted by the production of this massive twenty dollar gold piece. Struck at the historic New Orleans Mint, this specific Liberty Gold Double Eagle carries the distinctive 'O' mint mark, signaling its southern origin. With a total mintage of 315,000 pieces for this date and mint combination, surviving examples are highly prized by those who study early United States gold issues. Crafted from 0.900 fine gold, the coin contains 0.9675 troy ounces of precious metal. The obverse features the classic profile of Liberty, adorned with a coronet inscribed with the word 'LIBERTY' above the 1851 date. The reverse displays a heraldic eagle surrounded by the inscriptions 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' and the denomination 'TWENTY D.' This particular specimen has survived the decades in remarkable condition, graded Mint State 61 (MS-61) by a professional third-party certification service. Finding a New Orleans double eagle from the mid-nineteenth century in this state of preservation offers a rare glimpse into the early years of the nation's twenty dollar gold denomination.