Semi-Numismatic

$20 St Gaudens Gold Double Eagle (Cleaned)

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Among the most celebrated achievements in American coinage, this twenty dollar gold piece represents a remarkable era of artistic expression. Struck between 1907 and 1933, the coin contains 0.9675 troy ounces of gold, alloyed to a purity of 0.900. These impressive pieces were struck at three different mint facilities, including Denver, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. The obverse design presents a powerful image of Lady Liberty moving forward, illuminated by the radiant rays of a rising sun. On the reverse, a majestic bald eagle is captured mid-flight, soaring across the sky. The reverse also displays the inscriptions identifying the nation as the United States of America and the face value of Twenty Dollars. Along the edge, the traditional motto E Pluribus Unum is inscribed, with stars separating the words. These coins carry a compelling history of survival. In 1933, new government regulations prohibited citizens from keeping monetary gold, which resulted in the vast majority of these double eagles being melted down. The surviving examples, including those that show evidence of past cleaning, offer a direct connection to this pivotal moment in American monetary history.