1889

Sandwiched between the comparatively plentiful 1888 (226,266 struck) and the 1890 (75,995), this Philadelphia Type 3 issue stands out for its abrupt production cliff. Output fell to barely a fifth of the prior year's total, a contraction that placed it firmly in semi-key territory among late-1880s Coronet Head twenties. Treasury demand for export-grade gold was largely satisfied by San Francisco that year, leaving the parent mint to produce a small working supply alongside a separate proof issue of just 41 pieces. The result is a date whose original delivery was modest by Philadelphia standards and whose surviving population reflects circulation losses, melting under the 1933 recall, and overseas dispersal that recurred across the series.

Strike quality is generally what one expects from late-1880s Philadelphia work on the With Motto reverse: sharp central detail on Liberty's hair and the eagle's shield, with frosty to lightly satin luster. Bag marks accumulate readily on the open fields and Liberty's cheek because the coins were stored loose in vault canvas for decades. Circulated grades from VF through AU are obtainable thanks to repatriated European hoards, and lower mint state pieces through MS-62 surface with some regularity. Genuinely choice survivors are another matter. PCGS and NGC certified populations thin sharply above MS-62, with finest-known examples landing at the MS-63 to MS-63+ tier rather than full gem.

Auction performance reinforces the date's standing. A PCGS MS-63+ example brought $19,800 in a Heritage sale on August 9, 2020, a result consistent with the steep premium that accompanies any leap from MS-62 into choice territory for this issue. Collectors building a Philadelphia date set inevitably treat CK-6567 as one of the harder fills from the decade, alongside the 1881, 1885, 1886, and 1891. For broader context on series design phases, motto adoption, and the transition from Type 2 to Type 3, see the Liberty Head Double Eagle series history.