Rare 20 Dollar Gold Coin
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Twenty dollar gold coins were the largest regular issue coins ever minted in the United States. The first two of these large coins was minted in 1949. One of these coins is housed in the Smithsonian institute and the location of the other one unknown. Between 1849 and 1933 these coins were used by Americans in every aspect of their daily lives. Then in 1933 before the last minted 20 dollar gold coins could be circulated the Government recalled all the coins in circulations and melted them down. The only 20 dollar gold coins that survived were those that had been used in international trade and were in other countries and those that some Americans had hidden away as a reminder of the passing of an era.
These coins known as double eagles weigh almost an ounce a piece and were once almost as common as the 20 dollar bill is today. Now only a fraction of those that had once been so much a part of everyday American life remain making them sough after additions to most serious coin collectors collections. There are two types of 20 dollar gold coins, the Liberty and the St. Gaudens. The liberty double eagle depicts a side view of the head of the statute of liberty and was issued from 1849 to 1907. After that time the St. Gaudens double eagles were issued until 1933. This coin depicts a the full statute of our lady of liberty and is sometimes referred to as the walking liberty 20 dollar gold piece.
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Today these coins are worth far more than 20 dollars. While many of these coins bring in between $750 and 800 dollars unmarked or unblemished coins are worth considerable more as well as some years where fewer coins survived the melt down. Some of the rarest of the coins from the liberty head years are the 1878-1880, the 1881,1882, and the 1885. 20 dollar gold coins bearing the liberty head for any of these years may easily sell for more than $15,000 per coin.
The rarest of the St. Gauden double eagles is the 1933 since this coin was never officially released to the public and very few of these coins survive today. One of these coins holds the record for bringing in the highest bid for any American coin sold in an auction. It was sold for over 7.5 million dollars.
The next rarest of the St. Gauden coins is the 1907 high relief coin. Not only does it command a higher value because of its raised design but also because it is the only 20 dollar gold piece of this series that uses Roman Numerals. It is also considered to be one of finest pieces of art on any American coin. Anyone who owns this particular coin is sitting on about $10, 000 for a well worn coin but unmarred coins of this year and series can reach nearly a half million dollars.
While 20 dollar gold coins may be part of our American past they certainly bring a nice tidy sum today and be worth even more in the future.
