1885 Liberty Head Double Eagle

1885 Liberty Head double eagle $20 gold coins are quite scarce, as less than 700,000 were ever made and far fewer than that survive today. The San Francisco mint, which was geographically situated near much of the gold mining activity during the Gold Rush, not surprisingly handled much of the coin production in 1885. Gold coins such as double eagles were mainly used in the West, though they did see some circulation in the larger cities along the eastern seaboard.

Here is a breakdown of the mintages and values of 1885 double eagle gold coins:

• 1885, 751; $23,500

• 1885-CC, 9,450; $6,500

• 1885-S, 683,500; $2,885

• 1885 proof, 77; $200,000

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

1885 $20 double eagle gold coins contain 0.9613 ounces of gold, weigh 33.44 grams, and measure 34 millimeters wide. Their relatively heavy weight and large size are two reasons these coins remain popular with coin collectors and bullion investors today.

1885 double eagles are much scarcer than the mintage numbers above would ordinarily suggest as many of these gold coins were melted in later years, leaving behind only a small number of survivors. For that reason, these $20 gold coins should be regarded as scarce and only purchased from reputable coin dealers.