 1866'S' No Motto. Choice Extremely Fine. Superficial wear is to be seen on the highest points of the design. The forcefully impressed reliefs are surrounded by ample halos of surviving lustre. Fields present a few scattered bagmarks, none of really significant visual importance. This No Motto San Francisco date is fascinating and frustrating to seekers of quality U.S. Gold coins.
Despite a seemingly adequate mintage, the coin is essentially unavailable in higher grades as Akers writes, ''The Double Eagle collector who would like a high grade (AU or better) example... is likely to be disappointed. I know of only two AU-50 specimens and I have never even heard a rumor of a Mint State piece... when available, which is not really very often, the 1866'S' No Motto is typically VF and heavily bagmarked.'' The Dannreuther-Garrett 10-year auction record notes 57 appearances, only 15 described as this grade, a mere handful offering any higher grade, none in Mint State! The present coin's grade is literally one of the highest a collector may reasonably expect to obtain.
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