Very few Proof Type I 1850 double eagles were produced; estimates stand at two or three. The only known example resides in an unusual place; the Bibliotheque Nationale, France’s national library. The coin, a cleaned PR-61, was acquired by a French collector who lived for a period in the United States in the 1840s. During that time he bought numerous notable U.S. coins directly from the Mint. PCGS cofounder David Hall describes the cleaning as abrasive.
The Bibliotheque Nationale’s extensive collections include a number of United States coins, as well as a wide range of numismatic objects from the Americas.
To learn more about the 1850 Liberty Head double eagle, visit our Coin Resource Center.
