History

The term "Double Eagle" is often thought of as a nickname but in fact has its origins from 1792 when congress originally authorized the striking of gold coins with the denominations of "Eagle" with a value of $10.00, the "Half-Eagle" with a value of $5.00, and the "Quarter-Eagle" with a value of $2.50. The California gold rush in 1849 created a steady new flow of gold to the mint in Philadelphia so they decided to begin striking coins with a value of $20 or "Double Eagle". The $20 liberty gold was authorized to be coined by the congressional act of March 3, 1849 and was struck until 1907.

The Liberty double eagle was the largest denomination of all regular United States regular issues and was designed by the talented Chief-Engraver James B. Longacre. It has a weight of 33.436 grams and is composed of .900 gold and .100 copper for a net weight of .9675 ounces of pure gold. The $20 Liberty has a diameter of 34 mm with a reeded edge. The rarest date is the 1849 which is a unique pattern and resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. There are many other rare dates in the $20 Liberty series; some of the rarest dates are as follows: 1854-O, 1856-O, 1861 "Paquet Reverse", 1870-CC, 1882, 1883, 1884 and the 1885.

Market Value

The market value of any coin depends on several factors. The first criterion is the intrinsic value of the precious metal in the coin; the second is the rarity of the coin and of course the quality and eye appeal of the coin. Once all of these criteria have been examined the actual current value of the coin can be determined. Never clean your coins to enhance their quality, generally speaking the quality of the coin is lowered by unnecessary or improper cleaning (leave that to the experts).

How to sell or buy

If you have coins that you are interesting in selling then contact us today. Our experts travel all over the world buying and evaluating coins with absolutely no obligation on your part. Visit our web site numismaticemporium.com for further information.