1882-CC

The 1882-CC eagle arrives in the thirteenth year of Carson City ten-dollar coinage, struck during a period when the Nevada mint was working through declining bullion deposits as the broader Comstock economy cooled. With a recorded mintage of 6,764 pieces, the issue is the smallest CC eagle of the early 1880s and one of the dates Doug Winter has singled out as a true condition rarity rather than an absolute one. Survivors cluster heavily in the Very Fine to lower About Uncirculated range, reflecting a coin that circulated locally before the territory's gold supply could absorb it.

Population estimates vary by source: PCGS suggests roughly 50 to 100 survive across all grades, while David Bowers projects 125 to 175 and Rusty Goe pushes the figure to 240 to 280. The reconciling factor is grade, Mint State examples remain genuinely scarce despite recent hoard activity that has made MS60 and MS61 more accessible than a decade ago. Walter Breen's assessment that the date is "prohibitively rare above EF" still holds for anything choice. Authentication should begin with weight verification against the 16.718-gram standard, since contemporary counterfeits skew light. Specific gravity should test at approximately 17.2 for the 90% gold, 10% copper alloy. The CC mintmark sits between the eagle's tail feathers and the arrow fletching on the reverse, examine punch depth and spacing of the two C's against known die diagnostics, as added-mintmark fakes built from Philadelphia eagles are a documented threat across the Carson City eagle series.

Collectors pursuing this date typically settle into the AU50-AU55 corridor, where original surfaces and proper color are achievable without entering five-figure territory. Doug Winter has specifically recommended targeting middle to upper About Uncirculated for those building a Carson City eagle set, the price-to-eye-appeal ratio is favorable here, and survivorship at this grade reflects coins that escaped melting and rough handling. The auction record stands at $111,625 for an MS61 example sold by Heritage in June 2014, illustrating the steep premium attached to anything Mint State. For deeper context on the broader denomination, see the Liberty Head Eagle series history.