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.
The SSCA premium has gradually come down as the hype fizzled and as the gold price has risen. Doug Winter, who was never a huge fan when they first came out or the years after, is now a fan of select coins.
