An Overview of the $20 Saint Gaudens

The highest yielding auctions for a single gallery brought in a whopping $57.7 million at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money, 2011, in Chicago. The same gallery is also famous for auctioning off, legendary 1933 $20 Saint Gaudens. One of which fetched the world record for highest price ever realized at auction for a rare coin, at $7.59 million, in 2002. The Saint Gaudens are an important coin in history and continue to carve a distinct niche for themselves in the numismatic gold coin market.

The $20 Saint Gauden’s Design

Minted for the first time in 1907, this rare gold coin was produced until 1933. The $20 coin or the Double Eagle is called so because it is twice as larde as the $10 Eagle. The reverse is a side view of a flying eagle, seen slightly from below, with a rising sun and its rays behind it, This complements the obverse side on which, lady liberty seems to be striding outward bearing a torch in one hand and an olive branch in the other.

Much controversy occurred during the designing and minting of this coin, most of it to do with designer Augustus Saint Gaudens turbulent relationship with the Congress. But President Roosevelt was steadfast in his determination just as the designer was steadfast too, in spite of flailing health at the time. To have a coin named after oneself is an honor few are able to achieve in a lifetime.

The Numismatic value of $20 Saint Gaudens

Those who collect numismatic coins are not just smitten by the yellow metal content of the coin. The values can be high because the premiums over the gold price take into account factors such as rarity, circulation, historical significance and quality. The ownership of a coin such as the Saint Gaudens, is about being the owner of a unique piece of history, a story, a time period, a unique frame of a story that becomes exclusively yours to own. Thus, the collector spends time and effort in researching for that coin which will complete their collections and search far and wide as well.

Stats of the coin: With a face value of $20, the coins have the inscription ‘E Pluribius Unum’. The total mass of the coin is 33.431 grams and it is 34.1mm in diameter. The composition of the alloy is 90% gold and 10% copper. Besides the obvious trading value that such stats impact, one needs to be aware of them in order to recognize a real Saint Gaudens numismatic gold coin from another.

Quality Assurance: The owner of the $20 Saint Gaudens is guaranteed reliability and certification by the American government. The government provides a guarantee to the coin’s owner regarding the coin’s weight, its content and its purity so that the owner can be confident about its value. However, it is graded also on the imperfections it may have, any handling damage that may have occurred and wear and tear during circulation as well.

Trade-friendly: Because of the aforementioned assurance and the historical significance of the coins, they are highly liquid. The coins also have a relatively high gold content. They are often graded a MS-63 to MS-65 in the PCGS ratings. Make sure you collect the coins that have this third party grading certification.

The Saint Gaudens design of Lady Liberty continues to be used in the gold bullion coins by the mint although the reverse has been replaced by a family of eagles.