1907-S

Closing the book on a 53-year run at the western branch, this issue carries a distinction no later coin can claim: it is the final San Francisco strike of the Liberty Head Double Eagle, capping production that began in 1854 when the new branch mint absorbed Gold Rush bullion straight from California's mountains. Within months of these pieces leaving the press, San Francisco coiners were preparing dies for Augustus Saint-Gaudens's sculptural redesign, which Charles Barber adapted into low-relief working dies after the artist's death on August 3, 1907. The mintage of 2,165,800 reflects an active production year, but every one represents a closing chapter rather than a routine date.

Strike quality on this issue is generally above average for late-date San Francisco gold, with sharp central detail on Liberty's hair and well-defined eagle feathers, though luster tends toward satiny rather than the prooflike depth seen on some earlier S-mint dates. The coin ranks among the more available terminal-decade issues, sitting behind only 1904-S and 1898-S in mint-state availability among San Francisco Liberty Double Eagles. Circulated examples through AU58 are common in the marketplace; gem condition is where the date turns scarce, with population reports thinning sharply above MS64 and finest-known examples reaching MS66 at the major grading services.

Auction activity confirms the condition curve: a PCGS MS65 example brought $26,400 at Heritage Auctions in January 2023, illustrating the premium gem buyers are willing to pay for a date that, while plentiful in lower grades, becomes a true condition rarity at the top. For type collectors building a Coronet set, this final-year piece carries narrative weight beyond its specifications; for date collectors completing the San Francisco run, it is the closing entry, the bookend coin that pairs naturally with the 1854-S that opened the branch's gold operations. Read more about the broader Liberty Head Double Eagle series history.