Numismatic

1853 $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle XF

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The 1853 Liberty Gold Double Eagle represents a fascinating era of American coinage, carrying a face value of twenty dollars and minted from 0.900 fine gold. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint, this substantial piece contains 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold. While the Philadelphia Mint produced 1,261,326 of these coins in 1853, a vast number of them were melted down over the decades, making surviving specimens in Extra Fine condition a compelling find for those exploring early United States coinage. Designed by James B. Longacre, the coin's obverse features a left-facing portrait of Liberty. Her hair is bound by a band clearly inscribed with the word LIBERTY, and she is encircled by thirteen stars representing the original colonies. The year 1853 is boldly positioned at the bottom of the design. On the reverse, Longacre's intricate heraldic eagle holds a shield upon its breast, with an additional thirteen stars clustered above its head. The outer rim is inscribed with the country of origin, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, alongside the denomination of TWENTY D.