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Melt Values/ Gold / $20 Double Eagle — Saint-Gaudens & Liberty (–1933)
FACE $20.0033.436 G0.9675 OZT AU
OverviewThe storyKey datesSpecificationsGradingQuestions
Melt Intelligence0.9675 ozt AuFace $20.00

$20 Double Eagle — Saint-Gaudens & Liberty (–1933)

Nearly an ounce of gold (0.9675 ozt) — the largest regular-issue US gold coin.

$20 Double Eagle — Saint-Gaudens & Liberty (–1933)WIKIMEDIA COMMONS · Public domain · Heritage Auctions (image); U.S. Mint (coin)
$20 Double Eagle — Saint-Gaudens & Liberty (–1933) — coin photograph
Designer
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1907); James B. Longacre (Liberty, 1849)
OBSERVED
Years Struck
1849–1933
OBSERVED
Mints
Philadelphia, San Francisco (S), Carson City (CC), New Orleans (O), Denver (D)
OBSERVED
02

The story

Born of California gold-rush torrents and killed by Executive Order 6102, the double eagle bookends America's gold century. Saint-Gaudens' striding Liberty is routinely called the most beautiful coin ever struck; the Mint spent 1907 fighting to flatten his impossibly high relief enough for commerce. Millions went to European bank vaults before 1933 — those repatriated hoards are why a coin whose siblings were melted by the hundred million can still be bought for a modest premium over its ~$4,460 of gold.

The unique legal 1933 Saint sold for $18.9 million — 4,200 times its melt value. Provenance is everything.

03

Key dates worth real money

Check these before treating any gold piece as melt. Think you have one? Check recent auction records before selling, and read the grading basics first.

DateWhy it matters
1907 Ultra High Relief~20 pieces of Saint-Gaudens' sculptural ideal — among the most valuable US coins
1927-DRarest regular-issue Saint — melted into legend
1933445,500 struck, legally unownable except one: sold for $18.9M in 2021, the world-record coin
04

Specifications

SpecificationValue
Diameter34 mm
Weight33.436 g
EdgeLettered: E PLURIBUS UNUM (Saints); reeded (Liberty)
Composition90% Au, 10% Cu
Actual gold weight0.9675 ozt
05

Grading and authentication

Grading: where wear shows first
Liberty's breast and knee take the first rub on Saints; on Liberties, the coronet. Common-date XF/AU Saints are the classic 'gold with a story' bullion buy.

Never clean a coin. Ever. Cleaning permanently destroys collector value — dark original toning is worth more than shiny damage.

Counterfeit check
The most-faked large gold coin. 33.436 g, 34 mm, lettered edge on Saints - and for anything scarce, certification is non-negotiable.

Gear that settles it: an electromagnetic verifier, a calibrated scale and calipers — counterfeit basics.

06

Questions people actually ask

Is a $20 gold piece a good way to buy gold?

Common dates carry ~0.9675 ozt (~$4,457 melt) with a modest collector premium - you get pre-1933 history nearly at bullion price. Scarce dates are a different asset class entirely.

Why are 1933 double eagles illegal to own?

The 1933 mintage was never officially released before the gold recall; all but one (sold for $18.9M with government blessing) remain US property. If grandpa's is dated 1933... call a lawyer, not a dealer.

OunceDeskPrecious Metals IntelligenceIndependent research, market data, tools and coin intelligence for people who take hard assets seriously.

Hard Money. Hard Numbers. · Not investment advice. Some links pay us a commission — disclosures. Affiliate economics never determine research conclusions or rankings. © 2026 OunceDesk. Every figure classed OBSERVED / DERIVED / ESTIMATED / SPECULATIVE.