1861 $20 (1861 Double Eagle) NGC AU58 CAC. This Civil War dated 1861 Double Eagle shimmers with mint luster in the protected areas of both sides of the coin. The strike is full as indicated by the centers of the stars on the obverse and the design details of the reverse. The hair details on double eagles from 1859 through the 1890s are less distinct than other issues. Sufficient separation is seen on the lines of the hair above the eye and the top of the head as well as the back portion of the coronet to warrant the grade, which is confirmed by CAC indicating that the coin meets stringent standards for quality within the grade.

James Barton Longacre designed the pattern for the twenty dollar coin in 1849. It was produced because of the huge amount of gold that came into the Mint from California. With the discovery of gold at Sutters Mill in January 1848, the California gold rush began. It led to an influx of miners and others into the area. The vast quantity of gold produced led to a need for a standard form of exchange. The double eagle was the governments response. They also felt that it would be useful for large commercial transactions and that it would facilitate foreign trade.

Longacres design shows a Liberty head facing left wearing coronet inscribed LIBERTY. Her hair is tightly tied in the back with two loose curls hanging down her neck to the end of the truncation. She is surrounded by thirteen six pointed stars with the date below. Dentils are near the edge on both sides of the coin. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle with elaborate ribbons on both sides of the shield extending from the top corner down to the eagles tail feathers. The ribbons are inscribed, on the left E PLURIBUS and UNUM on the right. The ribbons were added to the design to symbolize the denomination since this was the first double eagle coin. There is an oval of thirteen stars above the eagles head and an arc of rays from wing tip to wing tip behind the upper half of the oval. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc above the eagle, and the denomination TWENTY D. is below.

In its population as of July, 2011, CAC has confirmed 24 double eagles of 1861 in AU58 with 15 better.