1882-CC

Carson City struck this issue in the eighth year of double eagle production at the desert mint, returning to the denomination after a brief hiatus and resuming the steady output that defined the facility's later years. Doug Winter classifies it in Tier Four of his Carson City double eagle hierarchy, sitting alongside the 1875-CC, 1876-CC, 1883-CC, and 1884-CC as one of the more obtainable dates rather than a true rarity in the league of the 1870-CC or 1871-CC. Survival is concentrated in the VF through AU range, with most pieces showing the honest circulation wear typical of coins that worked the western economy and later traveled abroad in international trade settlements before returning home decades later.

PCGS and NGC populations skew heavily toward circulated grades, and Q. David Bowers estimates roughly 1,200 surviving examples across all certified and raw holdings, with only 40 to 60 pieces qualifying as Mint State. Winter notes that hoard repatriation and grading evolution have softened what was once considered a genuinely scarce date in uncirculated condition, with MS60 and MS61 pieces appearing more frequently than they did a generation ago. Above MS62, however, the issue retreats sharply into condition rarity territory. Winter has publicly cautioned buyers against paying north of $25,000 for technically graded MS62 examples, viewing such pricing as disconnected from the broader supply picture for the grade.

Strike on Carson City double eagles of this era runs softer than Philadelphia or San Francisco production, with the stars near the date and the eagle's neck feathers frequently showing incomplete detail even on pieces with minimal wear. Bagmarks accumulate readily on the open obverse fields, and original mint frost is uncommon outside the limited Mint State pool. Counterfeit risk centers on mintmark alterations, where genuine 1882 Philadelphia coins receive added CC punches; toolmarks, hairlines around the mintmark, and disturbed surface texture below the eagle are the standard authentication checkpoints, which is why certified examples remain the prudent acquisition path. For the broader context of denomination, design evolution, and mint distribution across the run, see the Liberty Head Double Eagle series history.