Liberty Head Double Eagle
The most prestigious coin of the Wild West and Civil War eras and a favorite of today’s coin collectors, the Liberty Head Double Eagle was minted in the United States from 1849 to 1907. With so much gold being found during the California Gold Rush, legislation for the production of gold coins became a lot easier for the government to enact. The first twenty dollar coin minted in the U.S., The Liberty Head Double Eagle was named such because ten dollar gold coins already in place were referred to as eagles.
Design
James B. Longacre designed the Liberty Head Double Eagle coin. The obverse features the head of a Lady Liberty, shown from her left side, her curly hair flowing down her neck. Her head is adorned with a headband that reads the word “Liberty.” Stars line the edge of the obverse, with the year the coin was minted at the bottom. The reverse features a bald eagle with outstretched wings. In front of the eagle is a shield adorned by banners that read, “E Pluribus Unum.” Sun rays extend behind the eagle, surrounding the words “In God We Trust.” The words “United States of America” circle the edge of the reverse of the coin. On 1849 through 1876 coins, the words “Twenty D.” appear on the reverse, while the words “Twenty Dollars” appear on the reverse of the coins minted from 1877 through 1907.
Rare Dates
The rarest date of the Liberty Head Double Eagles is the 1849 coin, as there were only two proof coins made that year. The only one of the coins that the whereabouts are known is on display at the Smithsonian. The other 1849 Liberty Head Double Eagle was sold as part of the estate of former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, William M. Meredith, who died in 1873, and its whereabouts have since been unknown.
Rare dates that are available for collectors of the Liberty Head Double Eagle include the 1854-O, 1856-O, 1859-O, 1860-O, 1870-CC, 1879-O, 1882, 1885, and 1886.
Within the rare dates of Liberty Head Double Eagle coins, there are some rare varieties as well. The 1853 coin features a 1853 over 2 over-date variety, in which the 3 appears to be printed over a 2. The 1854 comes in small or large date varieties, while the 1861 and 1861-S can be found with a different reverse, designed by Anthony Pacquet. The 1873 Liberty Head Double Eagle can be found with either a open or closed 3 in the date on the obverse.
Until 1866, the Liberty Head Double Eagle coins did not include the words “In God We Trust” in the reverse. There were only 12,000 of these “No Motto” varieties minted in 1866, and only at the San Francisco mint, so the 1866-S No Motto variety of Liberty Head Double Eagle is very rare and valuable.
Composition and Bullion Value
The Liberty Head Double Eagle coin weighs 33.436 grams and measures 34 millimeters in diameter. Its metal composition is 90 percent gold and 10 percent other metals, making its bullion value around the spot price of one troy ounce of gold.
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