Stack’s Bowers Galleries is gearing up for its May 20 Rarities Auction on New York City. The sale follows the firm's May 19 auction with Sotheby’s featuring 128 coins from the D. Brent Pogue Collection. 

The Rarities Auction features a diverse range of material across 109 lots including coins from the United States and around the world, paper money, medals, and other interesting objects. Here is a coin with a great story to tell.

1890-S Coronet gold $20 double eagle, MS-66+ 

The 2013 discovery of the Saddle Ridge Hoard in the Sierra Navada Mountains east of San Francisco was a mainstream news sensation. The 1,427 coins that were found in six cans totaled $27,980 in face value and the sale of the coins began in May 2014. A year later, these coins enjoy a robust market.

Among the treasures is the finest known 1890-S Coronet $20 double eagle, graded Mint State 66+ by Professional Coin Grading Service. 

The catalog entry puts the rarity of this issue in perspective, writing, “Like many late 19th century double eagles struck at San Francisco, some coins dated 1890-S saw use in circulation while many others were shipped abroad where they remained until they were repatriated beginning after World War II. While not a rarity in circulated grades and the lowest Mint State levels of preservation, the 1890-S is challenging to locate above MS-63.” 

The Saddle Ridge Hoard contained 99 1890-S double eagles, of which 89 are Mint State coins, and this one is the finest of those, and the finest known of the issue. It carries an estimate of $100,000 to $125,000.