Best Value American Gold Double Eagle $20 Bullion 1849 - 1933

The American Double Eagle has a face value of $20 and was minted between 1849 - 1933. It is 0.9675 troy-ounce of fine gold, with an additional amount of copper bringing it to just over 1 troy ounce in total weight.

The coin, produced by the US Mint, is named after the Act of Congress that authorised its creation. The California Gold Rush coincided with the first year of production, and regular production of the coins began one year later.

American Double Eagle coins between 1849 and 1907 were the Liberty head (coronet) coins, which you can see images of on the left-hand side of the page. The obverse bears the US crest and mottos, whilst the reverse features the Liberty head and the year of production.

In 1905 President Roosevelt commissioned American-Irish artist and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a new Double Eagle coin. At this point in time Saint-Gaudens was battling cancer, but he created his design later that year. The Eagle soaring over the sun was his design, with the Lady Liberty on the other side.

Technical issues with the US Mint meant the coin wasn't able to be produced until 1907 - several months after Saint-Gaudens died.

Production of the coin was halted in 1933 when, at the height of the Great Depression, President Roosevelt ordered a return of all monetary gold to the US Treasury and prohibited ownership. Only 445,500 of these coins were made that year. Two were put aside for the Smithsonian Museum and all but 20 were melted. Those remaining coins were stolen, but 19 have since been accounted for.

Liberty Head:.

1849 - 1866 = No motto, value stated as 'twenty D.'.

1866 - 1876 = Motto, value stated as 'twenty D.'.

1877 - 1907 = Motto, value 'twenty dollars'.

Saint Gaudens:.

1907 = High relief, Roman numerals, no motto.

1907 - 1908 = Saint Gaudens edition, low relief, Arabic numerals, no motto.

1908 - 1933 = Saint Gaudens edition, low relief, Arabic numerals, with motto.

The coin will be from a random year of our choosing will be in fair to good condition. If you require a specific year please see our full range of Gold $20 Eagles.