$20 Liberty Double Eagle

From the foudning of the United States, the U.S. Mint produced only $2.50, $5 and $10 coins. The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill and the ensuing California gold rush, convinced the United States Government to mint the first evern $20 coin:  the legendary $20 Liberty Double Eagle gold coin.

The first regular production Liberty Double Eagle gold coins were struck beginning in 1850.

The  $20 Liberty gold coin was produced in three types. Type I, the “No Motto” variety, was minted from 1849 to 1866. Type II, bearing the designation “Twenty D” on the reverse, was minted from 1866 to 1876, followed by the most common variety, Type III (1877-1907), with “Twenty Dollars” fully spelled out. The Double Eagle gold coin contains the highest gold content of any regular issue U.S. gold coin of its era and possesses one of the most arresting reverses on any United States coin: a dauntless eagle, its wings fully spread. The obverse bears a classical Greek rendition of Lady Liberty.

This Liberty Double Eagle gold coin  reigned as King of American coins from 1850 to 1907 and remains a tangible reminder of the rich, hard-money heritage of the United States.