$20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle
A brief history of the $20 Liberty Double Eagle
The twenty-dollar Liberty Head
Gold Double Eagle (or simply $20 Liberty) was first
minted for circulation
in 1850 and is the first $20 gold piece issued by a U.S. Mint. 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 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 Eagle
The obverse of the $20 Liberty features the bust of Lady Liberty with coronet on which the word "LIBERTY" is inscribed. The perimeter displays 13 stars representing the original thirteen colonies with the mint date appearing below the bust. The reverse features the image of a spread-winged eagle with a shield protecting its breast (an adaptation of the Great Seal of the United States). 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 in Philadelphia.
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" Libertys
At 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.
"No Motto" Libertys
From 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.
"IN GOD WE TRUST" Motto Libertys
Beginning 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 above) and continued until 1907, the last
year the $20 Liberty was minted.
$20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle Specifications
Gold 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.
$20 Liberty Double Eagles on Amazon
You can learn much about investing in Twenty Dollar Libertys on Amazon. Review what coins are available and at what price. Of course, circulated Libertys in excellent condition as well as uncirculated ones (graded MS60 and higher) will fetch a higher price than those having common dates and in just fair condition.
If you are ready to shop for these historic gold coins after reading the above material, click on this Amazon link Buying Coins. On the left hand side under Metal click on Gold, then under Year select the date ranges of 1860 to 1880 and 1880 to 1900. You will see what coins are available and their asking price. Be aware I receive a small compensation if you buy through this site which does not result in you paying more.
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.