Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 59

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$20 Gold

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1795		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded each MS-64. Each with delicate golden color. Lot of 2 coins (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1796		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64. Each delicately toned. Lot of 2 coins (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1797		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded each MS-64. Each brimming with rich golden luster. Lot of 2 coins (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,565
Lot 1798		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded each MS-64. Both delicately toned. Lot of 2 coins (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,680
Lot 1799		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded each MS-64. Lot of 2 coins (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $2,800 - 2,900. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,623
Lot 1800		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded each MS-63. A matched pair. Lot of 2 coins (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $2,600 - 2,700. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,450
Lot 1801		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. Intensely lustrous with rich golden luster. A Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,818
Lot 1802		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. Intense golden colors. Unrivaled as a Mint State 65 in terms of exterior preservation, both sides of this golden beauty are well frosted and spot-free. Furthermore, both the peripheries and the central devices are detailed and close to 100% crisp for their sharpness of strike, unlike some 1908's in which Liberty is bluntly made -- this is a forceful reminder in a No Motto $20 that it is quality that counts (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,473
Lot 1803		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. A lovely golden gem example. Bright with tawny-gold color, both sides exhibit a near absence of blemishes. A generous amount of crisp detail for the type, as one would expect in an MS65, including those areas with the usual weak metal flows into the deepest channels of the dies, thus leaving the centers bold (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,185
Lot 1804		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. Lovely golden mint luster. This conditionally desirable contribution to the sale is brilliant with rich frosty surfaces. The strike is free of censure, being sharp in all areas (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,473
Lot 1805		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. One of several splendid golden gems. The surfaces are judged by us to be warm gold in color, and quite lustrous, with the numerical grade acting on behalf of its outstanding quality (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,128
Lot 1806		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. Another lovley gem example, what a prize for the collector of Saint-Gaudens $20s. Blazing-golden frost with crisp definition and exceptionally clean surfaces, spot-free and beaming. Definitely, a advantageous example of the grade (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,588
Lot 1807		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. Beautiful golden sunset luster and another outstanding Gem quality Brilliant Uncirculated No Motto $20 from this extensive consignment (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,473
Lot 1808		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. Rich golden mint bloom colors. Strikingly brilliant throughout with very few abrasions present to sidetrack your enjoyment of the smooth rippling surface and bold relief (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,358
Lot 1809		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. An intensely lustrous gem, the surfaces radiant from centers to periphery. Having covered the mint bloom, we take stock of the coin's detail. Clockwork precision seen in the facial features on Liberty, her dress, the leaves below the date, and the small Capitol dome off to one side. Similar precision in the strike on the eagle. This handsome $20 gold coin acted as the foundation of the gold standard in its day. The gold standard prevented a country from depreciating the value of its currency by printing more than it could promise to redeem in gold. Gold held the price level in check like a giant anchor. In 1908, the British pound, for instance, had been tied to gold for about 200 years. The value of the pound in 1908 was not that much different from its value in the early 1700s, when Sir Isaac Newton was in charge of the British mint. So too in America, prices remained stable from the 1790s until 1933, with interruptions only occuring during times of war or other financial distress. (Bear in mind, the gold standard provided protection against inflation but not against crises. Banks could not pay gold on demand if everyone wanted to cash in at the same time.) (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,588
Lot 1810		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. A frosty mint gem (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,473
Lot 1811		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-65. A splendid golden gem, the surfaces are bright, with vivid rather than subtle luster (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 1812		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Light golden toning, especially on the well-executed eagle. A Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,128
Lot 1813		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Light golden toning with similar surfaces, color and booming luster found on others in the sale from this consignor. A Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1814		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Light golden toning. A Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 1815		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Light golden toning. A Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1816		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64. Intensely lustrous, very pleasing surfaces all around (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 1817		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64. Lovely two-tone golden toning. Redolent luster. Full breast and wing details on the eagle with minor softness appearing on the leg feathers, as often occurs in the No Motto dates of 1907-1908 (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,840
Lot 1818		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-63 PQ. Lovely golden colors. A Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,350 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 1819		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-63. Rich mint bloom color. The 1907-1908 No Motto design is Charles Barber's modification of the original Saint-Gaudens design, prepared in lower relief for ease of minting and use in commerce (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,350. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 1820		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-62. Lightly toned, a lustrous example of this much requested two-year Type. In an old green label holder (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,553
Lot 1821		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. NGC graded MS-62. Nice original toning (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,553
Lot 1822		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-62 (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,553
Lot 1823		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. NGC graded MS-60. Lightly toned; some surface scratches from contact with others in the mint bag (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $1,150 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,524
Lot 1824		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. With motto. PCGS graded MS-65. Lovely golden toning. Bowing to a Congressional order, the Mint placed the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the Saint-Gaudens double eagle part-way through 1908. This addition to the lower reverse was made over the objections of then-President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt felt that the use of a deity's name on the nation's coinage amounted to sacrilege. 156,359 pieces were coined of the With Motto P-mint. The Type is very scarce in MS-64 or better condition. A bright coin soaking up mint glow on gold surfaces with nothing to censor it from its refined grade. Something perhaps worth pausing to study is the fact that all devices were struck with the usual and desirable consistency of this year, that is, sharply by the dies, which then left behind bold elements of detail throughout. Pop 41; 11 finer, 10 in 66, 1 in 67 (PCGS # 9147) . Estimated Value $14,000 - 15,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1825		1909-D $20 St. Gaudens. Improperly Cleaned. Scarce low mintage date (PCGS # 9152) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,495
Lot 1826		1910 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. A hint of gold tone (PCGS # 9154) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,350. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,860
Lot 1827		1910-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58 and PCGS AU-55. Lot of 2 coins (PCGS # 9156) . Estimated Value $2,100 - 2,200. View details Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,933
Lot 1828		1910-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. Frosty and lightly toned, a choice example (PCGS # 9156) . Estimated Value $1,250 - 1,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,610
Lot 1829		1911-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-63. A frosty example, choice and attractive. 1911 is the year the United States Supreme Court declared Standard Oil to be an "unreasonable" monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and ordered the company to be dissolved (PCGS # 9159) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,350. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,725
Lot 1830		1913-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Lightly toned. Only 34,000 struck. A conditionally difficult example of this low mintage issue. Most others have been banged about and show bagmarks or abrasions from years of storage in a careless manner. This is different. This coin is a pleasing exception whose surfaces are most attractive. The luster is a bright yellow-golden finish with only scattered marks by comparison. A few luster scuffs occur along the left obverse rim and some small marks on the lower portion of Liberty's legs. Rich, satiny luster completes the picture of this very elusive MS64 specimen. Pop 527; 23 finer, 1 in 64+, 21 in 65, 1 in 66 (PCGS # 9163) . Estimated Value $6,000 - 6,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,900
Lot 1831		1915 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. A magnificent gem specimen. Well struck with the facial features on Liberty complete and the surfaces are ablaze with gorgeous mint bloom color. A decidedly rare coin in this lofty grade. Pop 32; none finer at PCGS (PCGS # 9167) . The low Philadelphia Mint issuance in 1913-15 may be related to the opening of the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, which took place towards the end of 1914. Before the newly authorized Federal Reserve System could begin operations, it had to acquire a large amount of gold in the form of gold coins (principally double eagles) as backing for the Federal Reserve Bank Notes and Federal Reserve Notes of the 1914 and later Series. At the time, World War I was in progress, which put immense strains on international transfers of gold. In fact, the U.S. government, at the request of the bankers, closed the New York Stock Exchange from the summer of 1914 until late that year in order to limit the amount of gold exports during the first feverish days of the War. This handsome 1915 $20 Saint is a reminder of those interesting times in American monetary history. Estimated Value $15,000 - 16,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $17,250
Lot 1832		1920-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Well struck and frosty with hues of golden-orange and olive. We are pleased as can be to have been awarded this extremely rare coin for auction. Throw away the mintage figures since, of the 558,000 struck, perhaps no more than a few score survive today in all grades. The rest were melted or otherwise lost. This date is so rare that Breen estimated the number to survive at 8-12 when he compiled the information for his Encyclopedia in the 1970s (the book was published in 1988). Today, with the advantage of the PCGS and NGC Population Reports a fair number (but not a large number) have been graded by PCGS and NGC services. The census no doubt includes some duplication between them, so the total might be adjusted downward. This attractive MS64 is one of the best, as PCGS reports only 13 this high, with four graded higher! Carefully struck for the date, with full details on the devices, and just a minor scattering of ticks limiting this from full gem status. Identifiable by a small above the 20 in the date and another, among several, below the lowermost leaves of the branch in Liberty's outstretched hand. Also a couple of parallel scuffs on the upper curve of one wing on the reverse. Booming luster and a wonderful example for the specialist to purchase for a date set. One of the centerpieces among the double eagle offerings in this sale, we feel it is destined for similar distinction in an advanced collection of this beautifully rendered gold series. Pop 12; 5 finer with 3 in 65, 2 in 66 (PCGS # 9171) . The history of this 1920-S issue is sad but interesting. As is the case with other $20 gold pieces struck during the Roaring 'Twenties and early 'Thirties, mainly these were stored in bank vaults as backing for checking account deposits and Gold Certificates, the principal "hard money" back then. Gold $20s and gold bars were also the principal export medium in hard-money specie payments for imports. People have forgotten that under a gold standard (which ended in 1933), paper money and checking deposits weren't money at all but were commonly termed "money substitutes" or "promised money" payable on demand in the monetary metal. They were described as such in the college textbooks. All went fairly well but with emerging distress in the system when, at the depths of the Great Depression, a February to March 1933 banking panic caused the Roosevelt administration to withdraw gold from circulation. The amount withdrawn is estimated at $2.8 billion (or approximately. $130 billion at today's gold price). Whatever coins resided in the banks and at the various sub-Treasury buildings around the country were transferred to the government's account. In their place were issued Series of 1929 Federal Reserve Bank Notes. Numismatists may remember these from their brown seal and serial numbers. These had the backing of The Full Faith and Credit of the Government instead of hard assets. (Most 1920-S twenties that weren't exported from this group now owned by the government were melted beginning in 1937, to be turned into heavy 400-oz. "Coin-Gold" .900 Fine bars that are today stored in such depositories as Fort Knox. Gold ownership was re-legalized in January 1975, through an act of congress.). Estimated Value $130,000 - 140,000. Ex Hesselgesser Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1833		1921 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-61. Nice even golden toning. A popular key date. Frosty Mint quality and just shy of the Choice category. Full bright yellow-gold luster with its wisp of red enhances the coin, the luster showing much some cartwheel display. A few scattered marks are to be found on the obverse, while the reverse boasts a suitable satin-like and mark-free surface. We note a faint line in the color at the eagle's beak. A mintage of 528,500 pieces would seem to make the 1921 a common enough issue; however, the coin was produced in the depths of a short, sharp post-World War I business depression. Like other dates in the series, many of this issue was stored in banks, at the Federal Reserve, or in U.S. Treasury vaults. Presumably these met the same fate in 1933-37 as so many millions of other $20 gold pieces, they were melted. In terms overall rarity, the 1921 is considered fourth rarest in the Saint-Gaudens double eagle series after the 1907 Ultra High Relief, 1927-D, and 1933. This issue is difficult to locate in Mint State, moreso than even the 1930-S and 1931-D. That makes this an offering of significant importance to 20th century gold collectors. Again, both sides display original golden patina and swirling luster. Pop 14; 23 finer, 15 in 62, 7 in 63, 1 in 64 (PCGS # 9172) . 1921 is the year President Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921-23) took office as President of the United States. He was a decent man of reasonable talents say some. He held poker games in the White House twice a week. And whenever he got a chance, he sneaked away to a burlesque show. The ladies loved him; he returned the favor. These pastimes seemed enough for the man; they helped him bear up in his eminent role and keep him from wanting to do anything. Another saving grace was that Harding neither thought nor spoke clearly enough for anyone to figure out what he was saying. He couldn't rally the troops and get them behind his ideas; he had none. And even if he tried, they wouldn't comprehend him. H.L. Mencken, the social commentator and political gadfly of the twenties, preserved a bit of what he called "Gamalielese," just to hold it up to ridicule: "I would like government to do all it can to mitigate, then, in understanding in mutuality of interest, in concern for the common good, our tasks will be solved." The sentence is so idiotic and meaningless, it could have come from the mouths of any of our recent high officials. But the crowds seemed to like the way Harding delivered it. He said it with such solid conviction, it "was like a blacksmith bringing down a hammer on an egg," says Mencken. Estimated Value $130,000 - 140,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1834		1922 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-65. Intense golden mint color. A scarcer issue in this high grade. Swirls of golden cartwheel luster impart richer gemmy texture than average for a 1922-P double eagle. We have mentioned the luster, though if we could we would emphasize it more for it deserves extensive coverage. In winding up this description, we point to it being a strongly struck coin, as well, with outstanding detail to all the important high points. Pop 466, 8 higher in 66 (PCGS # 9173) . Estimated Value $4,500 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,830
Lot 1835		1922 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63 PQ. Beautiful rich golden toning makes this a Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9173) . Estimated Value $1,350 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,725
Lot 1836		1923 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63 PQ. Rich orange toning adds to its appeal. A Premium Quality example (PCGS # 9175) . Estimated Value $1,350 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,639
Lot 1837		1923 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded AU-58 (PCGS # 9175) . Estimated Value $1,050 - 1,100. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,466
Lot 1838		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-66. A glittering gem specimen! Struck with scientific exactness throughout the design of Liberty as well as on the eagle's plumage (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,105
Lot 1839		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-66. A sparkling gem exhibiting lovely golden colors. Most coins of this date are well struck; however some are even better; and collectors, true to their tradition, wish that all could be as spectacular as this 1924 $20 example exhibiting fine detail to all the high points. 2600 (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,220
Lot 1840		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Housed in a first generation holder. Shimmering golden beauty. A coin that could grade MS65 (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,725
Lot 1841		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Housed in a first generation holder. A coin that should be cracked out and regraded to MS65 (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 1842		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63 PQ. Lovely golden-orange hues on both sides. Housed in a 1st generation holder. A Premium Quality coin for the given grade. Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,754
Lot 1843		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63 PQ. Housed in a first generation holder. Lovely golden toning (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668
Lot 1844		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Rich mint bloom colors (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $1,300 - 1,350. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,668

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