Reference price
$21,602,569
Mintage: 445,500
Diameter: 34 mm
Thickness: 2.023 mm
Weight: 33.44 grams
Designer: Augustus Saint Gaudens
Metal Composition: 90% Gold – 10% Copper
The 1933 $20 Saint Gaudens Gold Double Eagle is one of the most important and valuable coins in US history, with a unique backstory that spans the Great Depression, legal disputes, and international intrigue. Although 445,500 of these coins were produced in 1933, none of them ever circulated. This was due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102, which outlawed the private possession and circulation of US gold coins, including the 1933 double eagle, with the exception of collectible gold coins.
In defiance of orders, twenty coins were stolen from the US Mint and eventually recovered, with 10 subsequently destroyed. The other missing coins included one purchased by King Farouk in 1944, which was unsuccessfully pursued by the US Treasury Department for decades. In 1996, the coin surfaced in a sting operation involving British coin dealer Stephen Fenton, initiating a legal battle that eventually led to its return as legal tender and auction item by the US government. Since settlement in 2001, the coin has been held in Fort Knox.
The rare coin was finally sold at auction in 2002 for $6.6 million plus additional fees to “monetize” the coin. Half of the bid and fees went to the US Treasury, and the other half went to Stephen Fenton. Due to its unique history and rarity, it is considered the most valuable US coin ever. Despite its value, however, this particular coin is not without controversy, stemming from questions about its true ownership and repeated legal battles.