1876-CC Very Wide CC

The 1876-CC Very Wide CC is the documented Carson City mintmark variety where the two C characters of the CC mintmark are spaced unusually far apart compared to the standard 1876-CC die punch. The variety belongs to the broader 509,000-piece 1876-CC mintage and is catalogued by major variety references as a Top 100 Trade Dollar variety. The wide-CC reverse die was struck early in the 1876 Carson City production run before the spacing was corrected on subsequent dies, making the Very Wide CC a documented die-state subset rather than a separate mintage.

Authentication of a Very Wide CC claim relies on examination of the CC mintmark spacing under five to ten power magnification. The two C characters on the Very Wide CC sit clearly apart with visible space between them, while standard 1876-CC dies show the C characters nearly touching. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC attribute the variety in their slabs. The 1876-CC Very Wide CC is sometimes confused with weakly struck or polished standard 1876-CC examples; certified slabs with the variety attribution noted on the holder are essential at any meaningful price level.

The 1876-CC Very Wide CC is a popular series Variety pickup and a recognized Top 100 Trade Dollar variety. Pricing trades at a substantial multiple of the standard 1876-CC across all grades, with the gap widening sharply at MS63 and above. Most certified examples grade VF to EF; AU and Mint State examples are genuinely scarce. The variety pairs with the 1875-S S/CC Over-Mintmark as the two principal Carson City-linked Trade Dollar varieties. Certified slabs from PCGS or NGC with the Very Wide CC attribution noted on the holder are the standard purchase route given the prevalence of misattributions in the raw market. For the broader Carson City Trade Dollar production context and the major variety register, see the Trade Dollar series history.