Numismatic

1866-1876 $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle Type 2 (Cleaned)

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During a transformative era in United States history, the U.S. Mint produced the Type 2 Liberty Double Eagle. Struck in 90 percent pure gold, each of these twenty-dollar pieces contains 0.9675 troy ounces of precious metal. These specific issues, minted between 1866 and 1876, represent a distinct sub-type of a larger design series that spanned from 1850 all the way to 1907. Over the decades, a vast number of these historic gold issues were melted down, making surviving examples highly intriguing to study. The artistry of the coin is the work of James B. Longacre. On the obverse, a left-facing portrait of Liberty is crowned with a band displaying her name. A ring of thirteen stars encircles her profile, representing the original colonies. The reverse side presents a detailed heraldic eagle bearing a defensive shield on its chest, with another cluster of thirteen stars positioned directly above the bird. Boldly inscribed around the reverse border are the words United States of America alongside the face value of twenty dollars. These impressive gold pieces were struck at various federal minting facilities, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson City, Denver, and New Orleans. This particular example is preserved in Very Fine condition, showing honest wear from its time in the channels of nineteenth-century American commerce.