1854 Liberty Head Double Eagle

1854 Liberty Head double eagle $20 gold coins are scarce relics from the Gold Rush era that appeal to large numbers of coin collectors and bullion investors. Less than 1 million 1854 double eagles were made, which makes them among the scarcer issues in the series. 1854 measure up to the series standard weight of 33.44 grams, contain 0.9613 ounces of gold, and are 34 millimeters wide.

Here’s a rundown of the various 1854 $20 gold coin issues:

• 1854 small date, 757,899; $3,203

• 1854 large date, mintage included above; $5,071

• 1854-O, 3,250; $145,000

• 1854-S, 141,468; $4,404

*Values are for coins in a grade of Extremely Fine 40.

The 1854-O double eagle is one of the most popular and rarest regularly issued business-strike gold coins from the pre-1933 era. While the official mintage stood at more than 3,200 pieces, perhaps only 25 or 30 exist today, due mainly to melting and natural attrition. Remember that in the 1850s, there was virtually no interest in collecting or saving coins by mintmark, and thus none were intentionally saved for the purposes of preserving any representative specimens of the issue. As among the scarcest double eagles, the 1854-O has seen some pretty staggering auction records, including a $675,000 price tag on an AU 58 specimen that sold in 2004.