The Philadelphia Mint struck Proof Liberty Double Eagles (Buy on eBay) throughout the course of the series. The first regular Proof production took place in 1858, although earlier issues are known or rumored to have been struck in Proof format.
Although technically a pattern, the famous 1849 Liberty Double Eagle was struck with a Proof finish. From the unknown original mintage, all but two pieces were melted. The only known survivor is currently held by the Smithsonian Institution. This historic issue was followed by an extremely limited number of Proof Liberty Double Eagles struck in 1850. The only known survivor for this date is held within a museum collection in France.
The 1858 Proof Liberty Double Eagle had an unknown mintage from which only three examples have survived. The 1859 Proof Liberty Double Eagle had a reported mintage of 80 pieces, although a large portion of the mintage was never released and subsequently melted. For this date, there are only seven to eight known surviving examples.
The Proof issues for the remainder of the series had mintages ranging from 20 pieces for certain dates in the 1870’s to a high of 158 pieces for 1903. Surviving Proof examples of any date remain in constant demand for their beauty and rarity. Three Proof-only issues of 1883, 1884, and 1887 command higher premiums due to the lack of circulation strikes.
Proof Liberty Double Eagle Mintages
| Without Motto on Reverse | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1849 | 1 Known |
| 1858 | 3-4 Known |
| 1859 | 80 |
| 1860 | 59 |
| 1861 | 66 |
| 1862 | 35 |
| 1863 | 30 |
| 1864 | 50 |
| 1865 | 25 |
Proof Liberty Double Eagle Mintages Continued
| Motto Above Eagle | Mintage |
|---|---|
| 1866 | 30 |
| 1867 | 50 |
| 1868 | 25 |
| 1869 | 25 |
| 1870 | 35 |
| 1871 | 30 |
| 1872 | 30 |
| 1873 | 25 |
| 1874 | 20 |
| 1875 | 20 |
| 1876 | 45 |
| 1877 | 20 |
| 1878 | 20 |
| 1879 | 30 |
| 1880 | 36 |
| 1881 | 61 |
| 1882 | 59 |
| 1883 | 92 |
| 1884 | 71 |
| 1885 | 77 |
| 1886 | 106 |
| 1887 | 121 |
| 1888 | 105 |
| 1889 | 41 |
| 1890 | 55 |
| 1891 | 52 |
| 1892 | 93 |
| 1893 | 59 |
| 1894 | 50 |
| 1895 | 51 |
| 1896 | 128 |
| 1897 | 86 |
| 1898 | 75 |
| 1899 | 84 |
| 1900 | 124 |
| 1901 | 96 |
| 1902 | 114 |
| 1903 | 158 |
| 1904 | 98 |
| 1905 | 92 |
| 1906 | 94 |
| 1907 | 78 |
