History
America’s showpiece
The Double Eagle, the gold 20 US dollar, is more than a coin. It is a work of art, a piece of history and one of the most coveted gold coins in the world. The California Gold Rush of 1848 brought so much gold to the government that a need arose for a larger denomination.
Liberty Head (1850–1907): three variants (Type 1, 2 and 3), each with the classical portrait of Lady Liberty and the heraldic eagle on the reverse.
Saint-Gaudens (1907–1933): President Theodore Roosevelt found the existing coins too unattractive and commissioned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a new design. Lady Liberty with torch and olive branch, against a backdrop of the rising sun with the Capitol, regarded by many as the most beautiful American coin ever struck.
The most legendary: the 1933 Double Eagle. President Roosevelt banned private ownership of gold, after which almost all struck coins were melted down. One piece sold in 2021 for $18.9 million.
