1927 $20 Saint Gaudens NGC MS66

While we are unable to guarantee that it will be available consistently, we are here promoting a striking of the $20 gold coin called the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. This version carries a 1927 date, and its condition is impressive; it carries a Mint State 66 as the NGC has judged. (The NGC is the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, which is based in Florida and certifies various coins.) Mint State 66, or MS66 as it is otherwise referred to, is among the highest of the Sheldon Coin Grading Scale's ranks. The very highest is Mint State 70.

An MS66 coin's quality of strike will be above average, while the mint luster will be full and original. Nonetheless, should you come to handle a coin of this condition, don't be surprised if you can see, on frosted surfaces, the occasional scuff mark. Meanwhile, the appeal should be, taking into account the coin's originating mint and date, better than average. This 1927 coin's beauty would have been even greater immediately following its minting that year. Indeed, it was in pursuit of more visually pleasing American coinage that Theodore Roosevelt, when President of the United States, took the initiative and decided to enlist a skilled designer.

The designer ultimately handed the responsibility of beautifying U.S. coins was Augustus Saint-Gaudens, an Irish-born sculptor who was New York City-raised. Though Saint-Gaudens died of cancer in 1907, he lived long enough to produce two intriguing designs for the Double Eagle. His obverse design shows Liberty taking a step forward, as if symbolizing progress being made in a broader sense, and gripping an olive branch and torch. The U.S. Capitol building is visible in the background, which also has sunrays. Stars representing U.S. States form a circle along the coin edge.

While the first four years of the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle featured these stars in the number of 46, this was increased to 48 for those Double Eagles dated 1912 to 1933, the year that production of this Saint-Gaudens coin ceased. This rise was because the Union had added another two territories as states: Arizona and New Mexico. Thus, 48 stars will have been placed on this 1927 striking. The sculptor's reverse design has an eagle as its primary focus. The bird is shown flying and, like the figure of Liberty on the flipside, backed by sunrays. In the case of the 1927 piece, there are also, beneath the United States' national animal, the words "IN GOD WE TRUST."

This is worth noting because the 1907 versions of the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle left out this slogan, angering Congress as a result. The motto soon returned and can be seen on Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins struck from 1908 onwards. This 1927 Double Eagle is without a mint mark; this indicates that the Philadelphia Mint was responsible for making the piece. The coin certainly isn't lacking in gold, however; that kind of precious metal makes up 0.9675 Troy ounces and 90 percent of the piece, the rest comprising copper.

The face value is $20 U.S. dollars; this explains the term "Double Eagle," as an "eagle" coin has $10 as its face value. Meanwhile, the total mass is 33.431g and the diameter spans 34.1mm.

Features of the 1927 $20 Saint-Gaudens NGC MS66
Classic design showing Liberty's figure
Double Eagle face value
Still in MS66 condition, as rated by the NGC