The 1906-S Double Eagle is around twice as common as the 1905-S but is a rarer coin in very high grades.

Expert’s Corner: 1906-s Double Eagle

I love the fact that this issue was produced the same year as the San Francisco earthquake. In fact, I am surprised that more collectors from California do not assemble date sets of historically significant 1906-S Double Eagle gold coinage.

This is a better struck issue than many of the San Francisco double eagles from the earlier years of this decade. The obverse is very sharp although some have minor weakness on the radial lines of the stars. The reverse can be slightly weak at the center while the periphery is usually very sharp. The surfaces are almost always littered with deep, detracting marks. There are some reasonably clean pieces that tend to be in strong demand among collectors. 

1906-S Double Eagle: Frosty Luster and Rare High-Grade Survivors

The luster is excellent with a thick, frosty texture. A small number of semi-proof-like pieces exist. The coloration ranges from light rose-gold to a deeper orange-gold hue. The eye appeal is below average but nice looking. 1906-S double eagles are available with some patience.

The finest known is a PCGS MS67. The 1906-S Double Eagle is common in grades up to and including MS63. In MS64 454 have been graded by PCGS and NGC combined. It is extremely rare in MS65 with a current NGC and PCGS combined population of ten in this grade.