$20 Liberty Gold Double EagleA brief history of the $20 Liberty Double EagleThe twenty-dollar Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle (or simply $20 Liberty) was first minted
for circulation in 1850. A total of 1,311,261 gold
Libertys were produced that first year - 141,000 in New Orleans and the remainder in Philadelphia.
Designed by James Longacre, the $20 Liberty gold double eagle was one of the few U.S. coins produced by five different U.S. Mints (the Morgan silver dollar was another) over its "mint life": Philadelphia; Carson City; Denver; New Orleans; and San Francisco. More details on the... Liberty Head Gold Double EagleThe $20 Liberty features the head of Lady Liberty with coronet on the obverse side. The reverse features the image of a spread-winged eagle. The mint mark is on the reverse below the eagle. Mint marks are "CC" for Carson City, "D" for Denver, "O" for New Orleans and "S" for the San Francisco Mint. If no mint mark appears, it was minted by the Philadelphia Mint.The Liberty Head design was used on the $20 double eagles, $10 eagles, $5 half-eagles and $2.50 quarter-eagles. Over the 57 years in which the $20 Liberty was minted, a few noteworthy changes were made to this gold coin... "TWENTY DOLLARS" LibertysAt the start (from 1850 until 1876), $20 Libertys were produced with "TWENTY D." appearing at the bottom of the reverse side. Beginning in 1877, the $20 Libertys (and later Saint Gaudens double eagles) were minted with "TWENTY DOLLARS" in place of "TWENTY D.". Approximately 39,700,400 "TWENTY D." Libertys (both motto and no motto) were minted.
Twenty Dollar Libertys
containing "TWENTY D." and no motto (1850-1866) are also known as Type1 Liberty Head Double Eagle
coins.
"No Motto" LibertysFrom 1850 until 1866, $20 Libertys were produced without the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST". These are referred to as "no motto" Libertys. Approximately 23,539,300 "no motto" $20 Libertys were produced by the Philadelphia, New Orleans and San Francisco mints.
Twenty Dollar Libertys
containing "TWENTY D." with motto (1866-1876) are also known as Type 2 Liberty Head Double Eagle
coins.
"IN GOD WE TRUST" Motto LibertysBeginning in 1866, the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" was added to the reverse of the $20 Libertys. The motto was added above the eagle (see the reverse image of the $20 Liberty below) and continued until 1907, the last year the $20 Liberty was minted.
Twenty Dollar Libertys
containing "TWENTY DOLLARS" with motto (1877-1907) are also known as Type 3 Liberty Head Double Eagle
coins.
$20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle SpecificationsGold content= .9675 Troy ounces, Face value=$20.00, Gold purity = .9000, Gross Weight=1.0750 Troy ounces (33.436 grams), Net weight=.9675 Troy ounces (30.0925 grams)These are wonderful coins. If you are at all interested in owning historic gold coins, the $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagle should be high on your list. Make sure to compare prices from several dealers. The $20 Liberty is very popular and you can expect to pay a pretty good premium over spot gold. By shopping around, your savings per coin can be significant. Disclaimer: I have made every effort to produce an informative and helpful article on $20 Liberty Head Gold Double Eagles based on my research and experiences. However, I make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to its completeness, accuracy or suitability for any specific situation or purpose. See Terms&Conditions for more information.
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