1876

1876 closes the Type 2 chapter of the Coronet Head twenty. After eleven years of the "TWENTY D." reverse introduced in 1866, this is the final Philadelphia delivery before Chief Engraver William Barber's 1877 modifications swap in the spelled-out "TWENTY DOLLARS" legend, repositioned stars, and a slightly reduced Liberty head. For a type-set collector, the Philly 1876 functions as a bookend: the last regular-issue date you can plug into a Type 2 slot, and the date that sits directly across the design seam from the 1877 Type 3 first-year. That timing, more than the Centennial calendar, is what gives the issue its narrative weight in the Liberty Head double eagle series.

Among late Type 2 Philadelphia issues, this is the high-water-mark delivery. The 583,905 figure roughly doubles the 1875 Philadelphia output of 295,740 and represents the largest Philly Type 2 production of the 1873–1876 cluster. Numismatic specialists, including Doug Winter, rank it as the second most available Philadelphia Type 2 after the 1873 Open 3, which means circulated survivors in VF–AU show up routinely in dealer cases and tend to trade close to bullion-plus-modest-numismatic-premium levels. The Mint State story tightens quickly above MS62, where eye appeal becomes the gating factor rather than raw rarity.

Strike behavior follows the late Type 2 Philadelphia pattern: softness on Liberty's hair curls behind the coronet and occasional weakness in the upper shield lines, traits that confuse strike with wear if a coin is graded only by central detail. Surfaces typically run satin to lightly frosted, with rich orange-gold patina on undisturbed examples and the heavy chatter expected on a coin that moved through commerce. A separate 45-piece proof striking exists for the date and is a different listing entirely. For the broader design, denomination, and reverse-legend evolution, see the Liberty Head Double Eagle series history.