DOUBLE EAGLE 1877-1907 Coronet, TWENTY DOLLARS - More Details

It appears now that the collector was considered as the Double Eagle anchored itself in the annals United States Commerce. The coin was beautiful, compact and more easily transported across the country. Because so many were produced, the type set collector will have no difficulty specimens graded from Very Fine to AU, with Extremely Fine and AU pieces being abundant. Uncirculated pieces are scarcer and when seen are apt to be dated during the last decade of production. Superb Uncirculated pieces are scarcer yet.

The Coronet or Liberty Head obverse motif was continued during the 1877-1907, as was the reverse with IN GOD WE TRUST above the eagle. However, the denomination, formerly expressed as TWENTY D., was changed to read TWENTY DOLLARS and as a result a new type was born. Examples were produced continuously at Philadelphia and intermittently at Carson City and San Francisco. New Orleans produced double eagles of this style in 1879, and pieces were struck at Denver in 1906 and 1907 there are a number of rare issues within the span, with the 1883 and 1884 Philadelphia coins being legendary in this regard.

There is a certain tactile pleasure in handling these large gold coins. It's hard to imagine when we look at today's tokenized, clad coinage that these beautiful gold pieces were once used as money. Until the early twentieth century, gold was a universal currency that gave the holder economic freedom anywhere in the world. This freedom was revoked when gold was demonetized in 1933, but it has been restored today in the form of the credit card. Of course, to numismatic purists, the plastic card can hardly match the aesthetic experience of seeing or touching these magnificent double eagles.