Heritage World Coin Auctions
FUN Signature US Coin Sale 1251 4-6 & 8-9 Jan 2017
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Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles
1925-D $20 MS65 NGC. The 1925-D is a prime example of the disconnect between mintages and rarity in the Saint-Gaudens series of double eagles. More than 2.9 million pieces were struck, mostly during the first half of the calendar-year, but today only a few hundred are believed to exist. The great majority of the large mintage was destroyed after the Gold Recall of 1933. At one time the 1925-D was even more elusive than it is today, as David Akers explained in his catalog of the Thaine B. Price Collection (Akers, 5/1998), lot 109:
"The 1925-D is another issue that, at one time, was widely regarded to be a major rarity in any condition. It was considered to be more rare than the 1922-S, 1924-D and 1925-S, not to mention such now famous rarities as 1920-S, 1929, 1931 and 1932. The 1950's, however, brought significant changes to the relative rarity rankings of Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles since many formerly rare issues were discovered in European banks. The 1925-D was one of those issues, and although large hoards of the 1925-D were never discovered, several small groups were uncovered over the years amounting to perhaps several hundred pieces."
Although the availability of the 1925-D in all grades has increased somewhat since the 1940s, it remains a condition rarity at the MS65 grade level. The present coin offers well-defined design elements that display just a trace of softness on Liberty's torch hand and the Capitol. Rich satiny mint luster radiates from both sides and each side shows significant reddish patina that is intermingled with highlights of lilac. A solid Gem example and virtually unobtainable any finer. Census: 9 in 65, 1 finer (10/16).
Ex: The Phillip H. Morse Collection of Saint-Gaudens Coinage, Part Two (Heritage, 12/2005), lot 2042.
Selections From The Dr. James C. Kirk Collection of Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles.
1925-D $20 MS65 NGC. The 1925-D is a prime example of the disconnect between mintages and rarity in the Saint-Gaudens series of double eagles. More than 2.9 million pieces were struck, mostly during the first half of the calendar-year, but today only a few hundred are believed to exist. The great majority of the large mintage was destroyed after the Gold Recall of 1933. At one time the 1925-D was even more elusive than it is today, as David Akers explained in his catalog of the Thaine B. Price Collection (Akers, 5/1998), lot 109:
"The 1925-D is another issue that, at one time, was widely regarded to be a major rarity in any condition. It was considered to be more rare than the 1922-S, 1924-D and 1925-S, not to mention such now famous rarities as 1920-S, 1929, 1931 and 1932. The 1950's, however, brought significant changes to the relative rarity rankings of Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles since many formerly rare issues were discovered in European banks. The 1925-D was one of those issues, and although large hoards of the 1925-D were never discovered, several small groups were uncovered over the years amounting to perhaps several hundred pieces."
Although the availability of the 1925-D in all grades has increased somewhat since the 1940s, it remains a condition rarity at the MS65 grade level. The present coin offers well-defined design elements that display just a trace of softness on Liberty's torch hand and the Capitol. Rich satiny mint luster radiates from both sides and each side shows significant reddish patina that is intermingled with highlights of lilac. A solid Gem example and virtually unobtainable any finer. Census: 9 in 65, 1 finer (10/16).
Ex: The Phillip H. Morse Collection of Saint-Gaudens Coinage, Part Two (Heritage, 12/2005), lot 2042.
Selections From The Dr. James C. Kirk Collection of Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles.