Numismatic

1878-S $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle AU

---

This impressive twenty dollar gold coin, minted in 1878 at the San Francisco Mint, contains 0.9675 troy ounces of gold with a purity of 0.900. It represents a classic era of United States coinage, specifically from a series produced between 1850 and 1907. Over the decades, many of these precious metal pieces were melted down, making surviving examples particularly intriguing to study. The obverse side presents a left-facing portrait of Liberty, who wears a band inscribed with her name. Thirteen stars encircle her image, representing the original colonies. On the reverse, a detailed heraldic eagle stands with a shield positioned across its chest. Above the eagle, another arrangement of thirteen stars appears alongside the national name, United States of America, and the twenty-dollar denomination. This enduring design was created by James B. Longacre and issued by the United States Mint.