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FUN Signature US Coin Sale 1251 4-6 & 8-9 Jan 2017
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Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles
1921 $20 MS62 PCGS. The 1921 Saint-Gaudens double eagle is one of the rarest and most valuable issues of the series, especially in high grade. Although an adequate mintage of 528,500 double eagles was produced in 1921, few examples were ever available to collectors. The coins were struck as currency reserves and the great majority of the mintage was tightly held in government vaults until the Gold Recall of 1933. Subsequently, the coins were melted and stored as gold bars in the Fort Knox Bullion Repository. Recent research by Roger Burdette suggests not more than 179 1921 double eagles were available for distribution from the Philadelphia Mint Cashier at the end of the year, a total that was augmented at the end of February 1922, when the Assay Commission returned 403 untested examples to the Cashier. Almost certainly, 250 of those coins were stored in a bag and added to the government stockpile in the vaults, leaving a grand total of 332 double eagles available for circulation. The number actually distributed was undoubtedly even smaller.
The coins were all struck during the last two months of the year, making many numismatists believe none would be coined in 1921. Even Mint Cabinet Curator T. Louis Comparette was only able to secure a few examples of the issue in early January 1922, by which time many collectors had long since given up on securing a specimen. Comparette acted as benefactor to several well-connected collectors and institutions, and most of the really high-quality examples we know about today came from him. A number of coins were undoubtedly released into circulation, as evidenced by the unusually high proportion of examples in circulated grades today. Most Uncirculated specimens are in lower Mint State grades and only four coins have been certified in MS65 or finer (10/16).
The present coin is an impressive MS62 example, with well-detailed design elements that show just a trace of softness on Liberty's fingers, with vibrant mint luster on both sides. The pleasing orange-gold surfaces show a scattering of minor contact marks on both sides, but none are individually distracting. Eye appeal is strong for the grade. Population: 20 in 62, 17 finer (10/16).
From The Renz Family Collection of $20 Gold Coins.
1921 $20 MS62 PCGS. The 1921 Saint-Gaudens double eagle is one of the rarest and most valuable issues of the series, especially in high grade. Although an adequate mintage of 528,500 double eagles was produced in 1921, few examples were ever available to collectors. The coins were struck as currency reserves and the great majority of the mintage was tightly held in government vaults until the Gold Recall of 1933. Subsequently, the coins were melted and stored as gold bars in the Fort Knox Bullion Repository. Recent research by Roger Burdette suggests not more than 179 1921 double eagles were available for distribution from the Philadelphia Mint Cashier at the end of the year, a total that was augmented at the end of February 1922, when the Assay Commission returned 403 untested examples to the Cashier. Almost certainly, 250 of those coins were stored in a bag and added to the government stockpile in the vaults, leaving a grand total of 332 double eagles available for circulation. The number actually distributed was undoubtedly even smaller.
The coins were all struck during the last two months of the year, making many numismatists believe none would be coined in 1921. Even Mint Cabinet Curator T. Louis Comparette was only able to secure a few examples of the issue in early January 1922, by which time many collectors had long since given up on securing a specimen. Comparette acted as benefactor to several well-connected collectors and institutions, and most of the really high-quality examples we know about today came from him. A number of coins were undoubtedly released into circulation, as evidenced by the unusually high proportion of examples in circulated grades today. Most Uncirculated specimens are in lower Mint State grades and only four coins have been certified in MS65 or finer (10/16).
The present coin is an impressive MS62 example, with well-detailed design elements that show just a trace of softness on Liberty's fingers, with vibrant mint luster on both sides. The pleasing orange-gold surfaces show a scattering of minor contact marks on both sides, but none are individually distracting. Eye appeal is strong for the grade. Population: 20 in 62, 17 finer (10/16).
From The Renz Family Collection of $20 Gold Coins.