1876-CC

Carson City's seventh double eagle delivery closes the Type 2 chapter at the Nevada branch, making this issue the final With Motto, "TWENTY D." reverse twenty struck under the CC mintmark before the 1877 Type 3 transition redrew the denomination. Production at 138,441 pieces ran higher than any other CC twenty during the Type 2 stretch, a direct reflection of Comstock Lode bullion arriving at the Carson City mint in volume during the centennial year. Doug Winter assigns the date Tier Four (common) status alongside the 1875-CC and 1884-CC, and Rusty Goe's estimate of 3,500 to 4,200 surviving examples puts the issue squarely among the most accessible CC double eagles for collectors building a representative branch-mint set.

Survival skews toward circulated grades, with VF through AU pieces well represented partly because of European hoards repatriated through the 1970s. Goe estimates only 325 to 375 Mint State coins are extant, and gem material is genuinely rare. Strike quality follows the typical Carson City pattern, with central reverse softness on the eagle's tail feathers and shield, paired with prooflike fields on a small subset of the hoard pieces that returned heavily bagmarked. Coast-to-coast pricing on certified MS61 examples runs in the low five figures with CAC approval, and the Battle Born collection sale at the 2012 ANA in Philadelphia produced an $80,500 result for a PCGS MS66 CAC, then a condition-census coin tied for finest known.

Authentication remains the operative concern. Carson City premium pricing has long incentivized added-CC fakes built on common 1876-P host coins, and embossed mintmarks driven from the edge can fool casual examination. PCGS and NGC certification handles the question reliably, and reverse die diagnostics specific to the 1876-CC working dies are well documented in CC die studies. Compared to the 1875-CC, this date offers similar Mint State availability with slightly heavier bagmarking on average; compared to the 1877-CC that follows, it represents the older heavier-relief design that collectors targeting type sets often prefer. Background on the broader denomination is collected in the Liberty Head Double Eagle series history.