Today, I am taking photos, annotating, and otherwise processing the coins I acquired at the recent FUN Show in Orlando, FL. Overall, a pretty good show with decent attendance by both dealers and public. It's about half the size of the Winter FUN show. I heard the usual mix of dealer jubilation and moaning but the general mood was that it was a good show. One dealer told me he'd done $300k of business on the first day. Bullion trading was very heavy by all accounts. Generally, I found dealers at least receptive to bargaining for the types of material I was after. I think there is still some lack of fresh, nice material in the market. Alternative views are welcome. So, here's the 1904 Type 3 Double Eagle. The date is common but I liked this coin. The Type 1 (1849-66) has no motto on the reverse and the denomination is spelled "TWENTY D." Type 2 (1866-76) added the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" to the reverse. Finally, Type 3 (1877-1907) changed the denomination to read "TWENTY DOLLARS". This is the penultimate coin of my Post 1834 & Pre 1933 U.S. Gold Type Set. The only remaining coin needed is the Type 1 Liberty Head No Motto Eagle (1838-66). This coin is notoriously expensive even in the common dates. It also seems to be generally over-graded and every coin on the market that I have seen over the last two years in XF to AU grades looks awful. MUST SHOW PATIENCE, I say to myself.
Until the SS Central America was found there were only a handful of MS Type 1 double eagles known. So 1857 S is probably going to be your best bet to look for. The problem is the SS Central America premium.
