The Different Faces of the Double Eagle Coins


Collecting gold coins is a great hobby and at the same time, a great investment. If you are planning to invest in gold coins it is best to study its history and development.

In the United States, gold coin designs were primarily based on the Liberty Head Bust until 1907. The design was altered to feature the Indian Head and the designs created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens until 1933. The Great Depression prompted the recall of these gold coins making it a rarity and very valuable asset today.

Best Design, Best Value

You might be wondering what is the most valuable coin in the world ? Well, it is the 1933 Double Eagle Gold Coin. This coin was made in the 1800’s with a face value of $20. Due to its rarity, a Double Eagle was auctioned in 2002 and was sold for about $8,000,000.

If you are overwhelmed by the zeroes of the price, it is a good start to know how the Double Eagle Coin came about.

The first Double Eagle was minted in 1850 a year after the California Gold Rush. There were two sets of the Double Eagle series which were produced: The Liberty Head and the Saint Gaudens Series.

The Liberty Head Series

The Double Eagle Liberty Head series was produced between 1849 and 1907.  The coin was designed by James Longacre who was the US Mint’s Chief Engraver during the period.

The obverse of the coin had the Head of the Liberty facing towards the left, allegedly inspired by the Hellenistic Sculpture which is the Crouching Venus. Other notable features were the curled locks of the Liberty, the beaded-edge coronet, and the 13 six-point stars encircling its rim.

The reverse side of the coin displays the American eagle with its head turned to its right. The eagle holds a double-parted, curled, parted scroll with its beaks. On the ribbons are printed the words UNUM and E PLURIBUS or "One from many". The 13 six point stars also appear on top of the head of the eagle.

On the obverse side, the date of production appears on center bottom. On the reverse side, the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is inscribed on the top 2/3 of the coin while the words TWENTY D is etched on the bottom center. The Liberty Head Series was considered to have 3 types: Without Motto (1849-1866) is Type 1, With Motto (1866-1876) is Type 2, and With Motto (1877-1907) is Type 3.

The Type2 features the religious saying IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse side. The Type 3 has the same inscribed saying but features the words TWENTY DOLLAR instead of the TWENTY D, this was used between 1849 and 1876. The Liberty Head Series has 90% gold and 10% copper and weighs around 33.436 grams. The diameter of the coin is 34 mm with a reed edge.

The Saint-Gaudens Series

The Double Eagle Saint-Gaudens Series was produced by the US Mint between 1907 and 1933.  The name of this series is after the designer Augustus Saint-Gaudens who unfortunately did not see its production.

President Theodore Roosevelt and Saint-Gaudens’ student Henry Hering were the primary champions of completing the work of Saint-Gaudens.  Roosevelt ordered the production of the coin featuring on its obverse the full length of the Liberty and the flying eagle on its reverse.

The high relief Saint-Gaudens is highly valued and is considered as the most beautiful coin of all time of the United States. There are two versions of this coin. One has a knife rim and another which has a flat rim.  Both have the MCMVII Roman Numerals inscribed on them and both have the concave surfaces.

The specifications of the Saint Gaudens series also follows the diameter, weight, and content of the Liberty Head predecessor.