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DOUBLE EAGLE 1908-1933 With Motto

Front - 1908 double eagle gold coin Back - 1908 double eagle gold coin

Description

United States coinage has never been more beautiful than it was in the early years of the 20th century. The Buffalo nickel ... the Mercury dime ... the Standing Liberty quarter ... the Walking Liberty half dollar, these were among the aesthetically stunning coins that made their first appearance and circulated side by side during that period.

Fittingly, however, the centerpiece of this "golden age" wasn't a nickel or silver coin, but one made out of gold. The Saint-Gaudens double eagle, or $20 gold piece, stands above the rest as the single most magnificent coin of this or any era in U.S. history.

In 1908 the Saint-Gaudens design was modified by adding IN GOD WE TRUST. This came as a result of an Act of Congress, a direct response to President Roosevelt's disdain for the name of God appearing on any coin. Roosevelt failed in his effort to forever strike the name of God from all coinage.

Otherwise the design is the same as the proceeding. Issues minted from 1908 through 1911 have 46 stars around the obverse border, while those minted from 1912 through 1933 have 48 stars, reflecting a larger number of states in the Union. Production was accomplished on a fairly continuous basis from 1908 through 1933.

Mintages were generally modest, but heavy melting, not low mintage, was primarily responsible for creation of the major rarities, including the 1927-D, the 1920-S, the 1921, the 1930-S and the 1932. The survival of many of these dates is predominately due to the large quantity of gold coins held in Swiss and French bank vaults. This large gold coin is actively sought by a myriad of collectors: from bullion hoarders to type collectors to those challenged by the awesome (and expensive) undertaking of assembling a complete date and mintmark set.

Valuation

Despite high mintage's, certain issues of the 1920s are rare, for many were simply stored by the Treasury Department and then melted following the 1933 gold recall.
COIN NAME
DOUBLE EAGLE 1908-1933 With Motto
DESIGNED BY
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
ISSUE DATE
1908-1933
COMPOSITION
0.900 part gold, 0.100 part copper
DIAMETER
34 mm
WEIGHT
516 grains
EDGE
Lettered E PLURIBUS UNUM
BUS MINT
64,981,428
PROOF MINT
687

The statements made on this Website are opinions only. Past results are no guarantee of future performance or returns. Precious metals, like all investments, carry risk. Precious metals and coins may appreciate, depreciate, or stay the same depending on a variety of factors. Lear Capital, Inc. cannot guarantee, and makes no representation, that any metals purchased will appreciate at all or appreciate sufficiently to make customers a profit. Lear is a retail seller of precious metals and its buyback (or bid) prices are lower than its sell (or ask) prices. Metals must appreciate enough to account for this difference in order for customer to make a profit when liquidating the metals. Lear does not provide financial advice or retirement planning services. The decision to purchase or sell precious metals, and which precious metals to purchase or sell, are the customer’s decision alone, and purchases and sales should be made subject to the customer’s own research, prudence and judgment.