These two types of coins are some the most readily available and most sought after of the U.S. gold coins minted. The United States minted gold coins for circulation from 1795 to 1933. The $20 Liberty coin was minted between 1849 and 1907 and is available in 3 types. The $20 Saint Gaudens coin was minted between 1907 and 1933 and is available in 3 styles.

The $20 Liberty coin was designed by James B. Longacre with the head of lady liberty on the face with the word “Liberty” inscribed on the coronet. The Type I was minted between 1849 and 1866 and was minted without the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “TWENTY DOLLARS” was expressed as “TWENTY D” on the reverse side of this coin. The Type II was minted between 1867 and 1876 and included the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Another Type II design change involved modifying the shield device on the reverse side from straight into the curved “rococo” style of that time. Again, “TWENTY DOLLARS” was expressed as “TWENTY D” on the reverse side of the coin. The Type III was minted between 1877 and 1907 and the only real difference with this coin than the Type II is the Type III was minted with “TWENTY DOLLARS.”

The $20 Saint Gaudens was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens with a striding lady liberty on the face. It is said that the reason for the design change from the Liberty coin is because Theodore Roosevelt thought that the Liberty coin was ugly compared with other gold coins from around the world, and therefore commissioned the world renowned sculptor Augustus to create something beautiful. The first style was the High-Relief coin minted only in 1907. Due to its raised characteristics bankers complained that they wouldn’t stack properly and thus in 1908 the U.S. went to a flat style. The 1907 also was minted without “IN GOD WE TRUST.” This was balked at by U.S. citizens so therefore half-way through 1908 the motto was put back on the coin. To be more clear, there are the 1907 High-Relief without motto, the 1908 no motto (now in a flatter style) and the 1908 with motto. All coins minted after 1908 contained the motto.

Both the $20 Liberty and the $20 St. Gaudens contain .9675 troy ounces of gold and are 90% gold and 10% copper. They are both considered to be U.S. rare gold coins.  The relative rarity of each coin minted depends on where they were minted (Carson City, New Orleans, Denver, Philadelphia and San Francisco), the year they were minted and the quality grade assigned to them. Generally speaking the rarer a coin is the more valuable it is.