1884-CC Double Eagle - 1884-CC $20 NGC AU55. Subdued mint luster peeks out from within the protected areas of this 1884-CC Double Eagle. The above average strike is seen in the details of most of the obverse stars and the shield on the reverse. The Choice AU grade is confirmed by the slight wear seen on the highest points of the design and the scattered, light abrasion marks, none of which are individually significant.

The design change that brought about the Type 3 double eagle was the denomination. It went from TWENTY D. to TWENTY DOLLARS. Like the addition of the motto to the reverse of the previous double eagle, it did not cause any major change in the rest of Longacres design. William Barber who by then was the Engraver following Longacres death in 1869 made the modification.

When first discovered, gold and silver found in Nevada had to be shipped over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the branch mint in San Francisco. This trip was dangerous and expensive. The Nevada mine owners asked Congress to establish a branch of the mint in their state, and legislation was enacted in 1863. Carson City was chosen as the location for the mint facility because it was near some of the major mining sites.

Between 1870 and 1873, mintage at Carson City was limited because of political reasons. The Mint Superintendent, H.F. Rice was dismissed because of claims that the mint issued some light weight and debased coins. Rice could have been executed. This partly verified information led to frequently seen edge test marks on the gold pieces of this period. Those who wanted the Carson City Mint closed use this discovery to urge the closing. Their real motive was that they wanted the lucrative shipping contracts to move the oar to San Francisco.

In 1873 silver was demonetized; however, the Bland-Allison act of 1878 required the Treasury Department to coin two to four million sliver dollars each month. The act attempted to keep silver at artificially high levels. Large quantities of Morgan dollars were minted, but they did not circulate well and were kept in Treasury storage vaults.

In 1884 Democrat Grover Cleveland became president. He fired all the Republican appointees including the top officials at the Carson City Mint and shut it down. A year later it reopened as an assay office. When Republican Benjamin Harrison became president, he fired Clevelands appointees and replaced them with Republicans. In 1889 coining operations resumed.