The 1870-CC Double Eagle holds a number of important distinctions. It is the rarest and most valuable Type Two Double Eagle. It is the most famous and desirable gold coin struck at the Carson City Mint. And, it is the most difficult Type Two Double Eagle to locate.

The quality of strike for this issue is not very good. The obverse always shows a weaker impression than on the reverse. The stars, especially those at the left, are blunt while Liberty’s hair is flatly detailed. On the reverse, the wing feathers tend to show good detail while the borders are weaker. The tail feathers are always weak, as are the stars which encircle the motto. 

Surface Quality, Strike Characteristics, and Authenticity Markers

Every known 1870-CC Double Eagle is very heavily abraded. The fields nearly always show deep, detracting gouges while many pieces have conspicuous bumps on the rim from mishandling. This is an issue which obviously went directly into circulation and stayed there for some time. The luster on those few relatively high-grade coins which exist is somewhat reflective. The coloration tends to be a medium orange-gold shade. Many survivors have been cleaned and the concept of eye appeal is alien when it comes to this date.

The reason for the uneven pattern of wear seen on this issue seems to be the result of technical difficulties at the Carson City Mint. When the coins were struck, they were not properly centered within the collar. As a result, the left obverse rim and the corresponding area on the reverse are narrower and weakly impressed on the right side of the coin. This characteristic is found on all examples of this date and is a good test for the authenticity of any 1870-CC Double Eagle.