As a rule I am not a huge fan of shipwreck gold coins but this piece is exceptional, both from the standpoint of appearance and rarity. The surfaces of this piece showe virtually no signs of exposure to seawater and are bright with a great degree of vibrancy. The “meat” on this coin suggests an MS63 grade but there are just a few too many scuffs in the obverse fields.   
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The level of popularity for the Liberty Head double eagle series, struck between 1850 and 1907, shows no signs of abating. In fact, I think these are the most avidly collected United States gold coins by date. How has the market fared for $20 Libs. in the last three to five years and what does the future portend? Let’s take a look at the State of the Market for Liberty Head double eagles. 1.   
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Since the publication of my book “The Insider’s Guide to Collecting Type 1 Double Eagles” in 2002, this has been one of the strongest and most avidly collected areas in the entire U.S. coin market. I think this is the case for three reasons: 1. Size: New collectors can relate to big, attractive coins and Type One double eagles are exactly the sort of coins that are easy for dealers to sell (and for collectors to buy). 2.   
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One of the more interesting and most misunderstood Type One double eagles is the 1854-S. This is an issue whose seemingly high population of Uncirculated coins belies the fact that it is actually extremely rare in higher grades. Read on for some more information about this interesting issue. The 1854-S double eagle is a historically significant coin as it is the first double eagle produced at the new San Francisco mint.   
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