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Sale 39
Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction
| $20 St. Gaudens 1911-1924 |
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| Lot |
Photo |
Description |
Realized |
Lot 2777 |
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1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-62. Nice frosty gold luster. Full sharpness to the details of the hair and high points of the design, although marred by a scrape in the luster near L of LIBERTY as well as a few nicks on the wing surface on the reverse (PCGS # 9177) .
Estimated Value $625 - 650.
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| Realized
$780 |
Lot 2778 |
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1924 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. Smooth, satiny frost on both sides.
Estimated Value $625 - 650.
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| Realized
$780 |
Lot 2779 |
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1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-62. Warm golden orange toning (PCGS # 9177) .
Estimated Value $625 - 650.
Ex Dr. Hesselgesser.
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| Realized
$719 |
Lot 2780 |
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1924-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Lovely rich golden toning on both sides. Both sides put on view the distinctive "look" for this D-mint $20 delivery: smoothly frosted surfaces, rolling cartwheel effects, and boldly struck devices. There is nothing hesitant about this one. It's color is gorgeous. Moving along, we can gladly report a highly presentable strike, with boldness to the key designs and freedom from rim bruises.
The 1924-D is another of the elusive mintmarked issues that continue through the end of the Saint-Gaudens double eagle series. The Mint State survivors originated in European hoards of the 1950s to 1970s. Writing in 1988, Breen stated that a further 70 pieces were discovered in the summer of 1983. (Perhaps these latter were in the same Central American hoard that produced several Mint State 1909-D and 1922-S Double Eagles at around this time.) The otherwise deep peach-gold color yields to warmer golden-rose hues in areas. Die deterioration around the rims is sometimes a problem with the 1924-D issue, but the present coin displays sharpness in virtually all areas. Pop 107; 122 in 64; 5 in 65; 2 in 66. (PCGS # 9178) .
It is commonly said that most branch-mint twenties were retained in banks, the United States Treasury, and at the Federal Reserve, and later melted in the mid-1930s. However, at least a couple thousand were exported to Europe. Today, the 1924-D is quite scarce. However, offerings are regular, due to a combination of more pieces being available and the curious situation, prevalent throughout numismatics, of buyers taking home a piece from an auction, then putting it back on the market shortly thereafter. Sometimes a rare double eagle will do quite a bit of traveling around until it finds a lasting residence.
Estimated Value $6,500 - 7,500.
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| Realized
$7,475 |
Lot 2781 |
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1924-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. Nice orange and golden toning. Scarce date. The 1924-S is a splendid double eagle rarity, one among a profusion of branch mint rarities from the 1920s. At one time it was even believed to be among the greatest rarities in the series, handily outdistancing the 1907 Ultra High Relief and the Liberty Proofs of 1883 and 1884. However, sufficient numbers exist today that they come on the market with regularity, usually in lower Mint State grades. The 1924-S is very similar to the 1924-D in this matter in terms of overall rarity. The major difference between the two issues is that the 1924-S is scarcer in MS-64 than the 1924-D. A mintage of 2,927,500 coins from San Francisco this year, but most were melted in the 1930s. Pop 100; 19 finer; 18 in 65; 1 in 66.
Estimated Value $11,000 - 13,000.
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| Realized
$10,063 |
Lot 2782 |
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1924-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-62. Lovely golden toning. Scarce date and well struck. The strike is especially sharper over the highpoints than average for this scarce date, and for a Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle from the San Francisco Mint, this is an enviably attribute. Both sides are lustrous with a golden-orange sheen. Scattered bagmarks confirm the assigned grade. Once considered a major rarity, the 1924-S is now given medium scarcity among the authoritative sources, this mainly from the arrival in America of European bank hoards of the date. Most certified coins grade MS60-62 (PCGS # 9179) .
Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000.
Ex Dr. Hesselgesser.
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| Realized
$4,370 |
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