1929 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

1929 Saint-Gaudens double eagles were originally struck in comparatively high numbers but are now quite rare. Most of the original 1,779,750 that were struck were returned to the U.S. Mint and melted following the removal of the gold standard in the United States in 1933 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

The 1929 Saint-Gaudens double eagle, when it is encountered, is usually found in the well-preserved grades of About Uncirculated or higher, and is worth $20,000 or more in the uncirculated grades.

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

Double eagles were primarily used for the purposes of international trade, though they did see some circulation in the West, where gold coins were by far more accepted than paper money. While the double eagle did not see widespread circulation, it nevertheless became a coin much loved by the public and to this day. The Saint-Gaudens double eagle, which was commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 when he hired famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a new double eagle, is commonly referred to as the most beautiful gold coin that the United States has ever produced.