$20 St Gaudens Gold Double Eagle

Not every Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle should be priced the same way. Several Philadelphia issues from the 1920s are encountered more often today than genuine key dates, largely because large quantities were recovered from overseas bank holdings decades after they were minted. A low original mintage does not automatically determine current value — surviving population, condition, mintmark, certification, and current market demand all matter more than mintage alone.

Some Denver and San Francisco issues are genuinely scarce or rare, including dates where original mintage was substantial but very few examples are known to survive today. The 1927-D is a well-documented example of a date whose survival rate is extremely low relative to its original mintage, and it should never be assumed common simply because 1927 Philadelphia coins are widely available. Conversely, some dates that arrived home in large overseas hoards, including a number of Philadelphia issues from the 1920s, are far more available than their age might suggest.

The 1907 High Relief is a distinctly different and more valuable issue than an ordinary common-date Saint-Gaudens and should never be priced using common-date assumptions. Because added or altered mintmarks exist, any date or mintmark presented as scarce should be verified — ideally through PCGS or NGC certification — before a numismatic premium is assigned.

The original 1907 Saint-Gaudens design was struck in high relief, meaning the design elements stood far above the coin's surface. This required striking each coin multiple times with the dies, which was slow and impractical for large-scale production. Before the end of 1907, the U.S. Mint lowered the relief so coins could be struck with a single blow, and that lower-relief format became the regular circulation strike produced through 1933.

Not every 1907 coin is a High Relief — most 1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles in circulation are the ordinary lower-relief strike. A genuine 1907 High Relief must not be priced like a common-date coin, and because of its significance and the existence of look-alike or misattributed coins, professional certification from PCGS or NGC is strongly recommended before relying on a High Relief attribution. The 1907 High Relief is a distinct historical issue and should not be confused with the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle, a modern one-ounce .9999 fine gold coin produced decades later using the same Liberty design.

Saint-Gaudens and Roosevelt originally preferred a reverse design without the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, and coins from 1907 through most of 1908 were struck without it. Congress required the motto's return, and it was added partway through 1908 production — all 1908-S Double Eagles carry the motto, while most 1908 Philadelphia and Denver coins do not.

No Motto coins are an early, more limited variety within the series and are identified by the absence of the motto on the reverse. Variety alone does not determine a coin's final value — grade, mintmark, condition, and current demand still need to be evaluated alongside whether a coin is No Motto or With Motto.

PCGS and NGC are third-party grading services that authenticate a coin and assign a numeric grade reflecting its condition. A certified holder provides an independent opinion on authenticity and grade, which the market generally trusts — but a holder does not make every coin inside it rare. Grade can materially affect a coin's collector value, particularly for coins in higher Mint State grades.

Damaged, cracked, or questionable-looking holders should be inspected carefully, and certification numbers can and should be verified against the grading service's public records before relying on the labeled grade. Gold Silver Crypto evaluates the actual coin and current market conditions, not merely the plastic holder it arrives in. Raw, uncertified coins are also bought and sold, with pricing that accounts for the added step of authenticating the coin ourselves.

Common-date Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles can be highly liquid and recognizable, and they offer gold exposure along with genuine historical appeal. That combination makes them a popular choice for buyers who want more than a plain bullion coin.

They are not automatically the cheapest way to buy gold. A buyer focused solely on accumulating ounces may find modern bullion coins or gold bars more efficient, since a Saint-Gaudens carries less than a full troy ounce of gold per coin and its price can include a numismatic premium that a bullion-only buyer does not need.

For that reason, we evaluate every Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle individually rather than quoting off a single formula. That evaluation is what determines whether a coin trades close to its gold content or carries something more.