One of Only Two Known
Error coins are generally scarce, as the Mint’s quality control standards do not usually allow for anything too outside of normal to “slip through the cracks” and into circulation. In the 19th and early 20th centuries quality control for gold coins was particularly tight, as they represented significant value, and the Mint did not want subpar coins in circulation. Today, most errors on gold coins from this time are strikethroughs or coins struck slightly off-center, and are usually found on quarter eagles.
Among all double eagles struck for circulation from 1850 to 1932, there are only two broadstruck examples known, and for many years this 1906-D was the sole example. It first appeared in Heritage’s May 2003 Central States auction graded AU-58 by NGC. Between that first sale and its current offering, it has been featured among the rarities enumerated in the 2009 reference book World’s Greatest Mint Errors (page 17).
A broadstruck coin is one that is struck without the collar, the part of the press that holds the planchet in place as the dies come down, while simultaneously applying the edge reeding. Coins struck without a collar expand and get distorted as there is nothing to keep the planchet from expanding dramatically under the enormous pressure of the coining press. At the same time, coins that are broadstruck also lack any edge device, or in the case of this Liberty Head double eagle, it has no reeded edge. Thus, it can be said that this piece is one of only two “plain edge” double eagles known from the more than 170 million coins produced from 1850 through the end of the Saint-Gaudens series in 1933.
When Mike Byers wrote about this coin, it was encapsulated in an early generation NGC holder, and the plain edge (the most important feature of this broadstruck piece) was obscured. To the benefit of today’s error specialists, the coin is currently encapsulated in a larger PCGS “Rarities” holder which gives ample room with the edge view gasket to see the lack of reeding. As noted above, for many years the offered coin was the only known broadstruck Liberty Head double eagle. A second example, dated 1904 and graded MS-64 by NGC, was recently sold by Heritage in August 2024 and realized $60,000.
This is a significant opportunity for the advanced error coin specialist and one that may not occur for a very long time once this coin is sold. View this double eagle and the rest of the November Showcase Auction at StacksBowers.com.
