1861-S Double Eagle - 1861-S $20 NGC AU53. Scarcer Type I Double Eagle. Here is a Civil War dated, Western branch mint 1861-S Type 1 Double Eagle. The coin is original and clean for the grade with shades of yellow and rose gold confirming its originality. There are no abrasion marks or other distractions worthy of mention, and bits of original mint luster remain in protected areas of both sides of the coin. The coin is well struck with full details on the centers of the stars and the design details of the reverse, especially the eagle. 

The coin was designed by James B. Longacre. In 1844 Longacre was appointed Mint Engraver through the influence of Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. After overcoming opposition by the Chief Coiner, Franklin Peale, who was fearful that the new Engraver would interfere with his illegal medal manufacturing business using the Mint facilities, Longacre did well. He was responsible for creating many new designs including the Indian Head cent, the two-cent piece, the Shield nickel, the Liberty Head gold dollar, the Indian Princess gold dollar, the three-dollar gold piece, and the Liberty Head double eagle.

The 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 twenty dollar 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. The mintmark is between the tail feathers and the N of TWENTY.

In 1866, the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the enlarged oval of stars on the reverse creating the Type 2 double eagle. When the denomination was changed to TWENTY DOLLARS in 1877, the Type 3 double eagle was created.