1926 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

1926 Saint-Gaudens double eagles offer a mixed bag of options for coin collectors and investors alike. 1926 double eagles include both common and scarce pieces, which are fairly representative of the fact that many 1920s Saint-Gaudens double eagles were sent back to the U.S. Mint and subsequently melted, making many issues rare today despite high original mintages.

1926 Saint-Gaudens double eagles were minted in the following quantities and are worth the following:

• 1926 – 816,750, $2,821

• 1926-D – 481,000, $8,500

• 1926-S – 2,041,500, $3,077

*Values are for coins in Extremely Fine-40 grade, unless otherwise noted.

Below are specifics about the Saint-Gaudens double eagle:

• Face Value: $20

• Overall Mass: 33.436 grams

• Diameter: 34 millimeters

• Edge: Lettered, “E PLURIBUS UNUM”

• Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper

• Gold: .96750 troy ounces

While Saint-Gaudens double eagles were never heavily used in circulation, especially given their high face value (their $20 denomination is the equivalent of hundreds of dollars today), this became especially the case in the 1920s. That was the period that double eagles were favored for purposes of international trade, though the denomination remained popular in the West.