1875 Liberty Head Double Eagle

1875 Liberty Head double eagles are relatively common, with more than 1.6 million rolling off the presses that year, and many examples of that date survive to this day. Most of the 1875 double eagles came from the San Francisco mint, with smaller numbers of $20 gold coins made at the Philadelphia and San Francisco minting facilities. While gold coins were mainly used in the West, they did see moderate degrees of circulation in the cities along the eastern seaboard. Bear in mind, however, that $20 was a lot of money in the 1870s, and as such double eagles were mainly used during large transactions, most often banking related.

Here is a breakdown of the mintages and values of 1875 double eagle gold coins:

• 1875, 295,720; $2,579

• 1875-CC, 111,151; $3,634

• 1875-S, 1,230,000; $2,579

• 1875 proof, 20; $300,000

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

1875 $20 double eagle gold coins weigh 33.44 grams and contain 0.9613 ounces of gold. They’re also 34 millimeters wide, which places their diameter about halfway between the widths of a modern-day half dollar and silver dollar. The large size and hefty weight of the 1875 Liberty Head double eagles, designed by James B. Longacre, makes them favorites among both numismatists and gold bullion investors alike.