US Double Eagle Coins
The U.S. double eagle was minted from 1849 to 1933. It weighs nearly one troy ounce and consists of 90 per cent gold and ten per cent copper alloy. At the time of its initial minting, the value of the gold in the coin was roughly $20 at the then-current price of $20.67 per ounce. Previously, the eagle was worth $10. Since the new coin was worth twice as much, it was named the double eagle. Minting of the double eagle was discontinued when the price of gold reached $35 per ounce in 1933.
The History of Double Eagle
Only two proof coins were minted in 1849. Release of the double eagle coins occurred at the same time as the discovery of gold in California, prompting the California Gold Rush. The Smithsonian is home to one of the original double eagle proofs. The whereabouts of the second proof coin are unknown. It was included in the estate sale of Treasury Secretary William M. Meredith and has not been seen since.
1850 was the first year for normal pressing of the double eagle coins. These $20 coins were worth about $526.24 in today’s dollars. The initial design was called The Liberty Head, which was used until 1907 in three different versions. After that, the Saint Gaudens double eagle was designed and put into circulation.
The Saint Gaudens Double Eagle
When Theodore Roosevelt asked renowned American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign the United States’ coins, he produced what is considered to be the finest design on any U.S. minted coin. The Saint Gaudens double eagle is more popular and therefore considerably more valuable than the Liberty Head version, due to Saint-Gaudens’ design. Coins struck in the original run of 12,367 can bring in excess of ten thousand dollars at auction. The finest examples have sold for nearly half a million dollars. Saint-Gaudens original high-relief design proved unusable, as it required too many strikes and did not stack well enough for retail purposes.
Double Eagle Facts
In 2009, a high-relief version was released by the U.S. Mint, finally bringing Saint-Gaudens’ original design to life. It was originally worth $1239. At the start of 2011, high-relief double eagles were selling for over $2000. 115,178 of the high relief coins were minted. Although there was originally a limit of one coin per person, that restriction has been dropped.
It’s normally a bad idea to completely clean expensive coins on your own, particularly if you plan to use any sort of chemical. Nonetheless, rubbing alcohol or olive oil will help your collection appear better without damaging the particular coins. Search for coin shops which market the sorts of coins you have chosen to collect. For instance, if you have started to acquire colonial coins, ask some other enthusiasts and also dealers if they know of any shops in your town specializing in these coins. Peruse the varying items and uncover what you need. Additionally you can start using the search facility located up above to narrow down the products that you’re shopping around for. Click on a product’s photo or link for further detail on Double Eagles affiliated products.
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