1849/1848 Gold Eagle NGC MS61 B-6888 - The overdated variety of the 1849 eagle, considered by Breen to be very rare. All digits of both dates are visible, with remnants of the 1848 date very clear. The first date was punched very high, leaning slightly upwards, and the second date was punched somewhat lower into the die. Unknown to Breen in his encyclopedia to exist in mint-state, such as the present example, which is one of the finest, if not the finest known for this variety.

This coin is an earlier die state, showing the die crack from the bottom through the 4 and into the bust very faint. Several overdates and repunched dates are known for this series, but often these are not as prominent as on this piece. Of the present date, a few repunched dates exist but this is the only actual overdate.

Examples seldom come on the market in this die state, which has the repunching very clear, making it a true rarity.With a mintage of 653,618 eagles struck for general circulation, non-overdated examples of this date are readily available. The majority of the pieces, however, soon went into circulation and stayed there for a longer period. As a result, most pieces that are still in existence are in EF and lower grades, with mint state pieces being scarce.

As can be expected, Mint State examples of this overdate are true rarities. In fact, the finest piece that has been offered in recent times was graded AU-50, and was of a later die-state. It can be assumed that this actually is the only known Mint State piece of this overdate.This coin, graded MS-61 by NGC, is a truly uncirculated coin. No luster breaks (a key future for identifying mint state gold coins) are seen on either side, which are both very lustrous. A few small marks account for the grade, but none of them are too distracting. Original yellow color shows, making this a truly uncirculated gold coin from the mid 19th century, with a rare overdate and a seldom seen chance for the specialist.