Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 42

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

Balance of $20 St. Gaudens

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 3551		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. PCGS graded MS-64. Lightly toned. A gorgeous Mint State specimen of this, one of the most artistic and by far, most sought American coins of any type. Bright surfaces in lustrous yellow gold. The fact is, only 11,250 specimens of this classic Saint were issued, with examples in all grades highly prized from the onset, resulting in a fair number of survivors today. Collectors like the fact that his popular Roman Numerals Type gets auctioned with enough frequency that opportunities abound for the patient buyer, or for that matter, for just about anyone who wishes to own one. Affordability is the main constraint, but at the current market price many thousands of collectors are able to envision owning one. The present MS64 includes a plethora of satiny surfaces, bold relief, winning luster, and ample eye appeal, providing bidders at different levels endless enjoyment and possibilities (PCGS # 9135) . Estimated Value $24,000 - 26,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3552		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. NGC graded MS-63. Popular type coin. A satin-luster medium gold specimen with charming light iridescence in the protected areas and a short line in the obverse field at left. One of several beautiful examples of Saint-Gaudens' famous high relief double eagle coins in the sale. Exemplary for the MS63 grade, with several signs of a finer grade present. This piece stands solidly within the Mint State 63 category as one of the nicest struck we have seen on the market in several months. The medallic double eagles of 1907 with ultra high relief required up to nine cycles of the coining press at an extremely high pressure for each example. The requirement of so many cycles was a daunting prospect for production, so new hubs and dies were prepared with lower depth. These coins with "high" relief, of which this is a fine example, were created with just five cycles of the coining press, still a time-consuming process for coinage intended for circulation. Coins with wire rim have a sharp border around the entire circumference. Estimated Value $18,000 - 19,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 3553		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. PCGS graded MS-63. It never ceases to increase our satisfaction with a rare coin auction when we offer a few to several High Relief double eagles in attractive Mint State like this. Collectors always welcome the opportunity to bid on affordable grades such as this bold Mint State 63, almost at the premium quality level. This is a lovely coin, and genuinely pleasing from top to bottom. The satin-like contours are unaffected by even the smallest copper alloy spot, and we are also free to report there are no abrasions worth mentioning. Both sides are smooth reddish-gold to pale orange color that further complements the already remarkable eye appeal of the high relief design. In aggregate, this is a coin that would delight the collector who stresses only the best for his or her collection of U.S. gold coins (PCGS # 9135) . Estimated Value $18,000 - 19,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $19,263
Lot 3554		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. NGC graded Proof 61. A few minor rim marks. One of the scarcer Proof strikings, this is a typically bold representative of the much talked-about first-year Saint-Gaudens double eagle, the Roman numerals high relief. The warmly colored, reddish to green-gold and pale orange features are free of all but a few tiny handling marks. Perfect for a U.S. gold Type Set. Our first impulse is to encourage bidders to rush to their computer keyboards and enter a bid, having learned the lessons of numismatics so well that though the heavens might fall, this coin will endure for generations to come as America's premiere gold coin. Pop 4; 78 finer. Estimated Value $15,000 - 17,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $15,525
Lot 3555		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. Sharpness of MS-63. Small obverse scratch in the left field. A splendid example, bold and lustrous, that has a thin knife edge around the wide flat border. America's greatest triumph in coin design. It is thought that 7,250 Roman numeral $20s were struck with a partial wire rim and about 4,000 with flat rim. This was made known as long ago as 1908, soon after striking, and for many years listings included these as separate varieties. The issue was not one of a separate die, however, but had to do with the spacing between the coin and the collar die which allowed metal to move upward from the rim; knife rims, or, in Mint parlance, "fins," are common elsewhere, such as in 19th century Proof coinage. Estimated Value $12,000 - 13,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $8,913
Lot 3556		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. Sharpness of Uncirculated. Cleaned long ago and now starting to tone. Luster is still present and the rims are free from serious nicks and dings. Always in demand as the first high-relief coin issued by the U.S. mint, and what a stunning design it carries. The date appears in Roman numerals. When the Mint reduced the coin's relief in the latter part of 1907, a change was made to more traditional date numbering, leaving this as a unique design. (When the 1915-S Panama-Pacific Expo $50 gold pieces were minted, they copied the Saint-Gaudens' $20 gold piece use of a date in Roman numerals.). Estimated Value $7,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,300
Lot 3557		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, flat rim. NGC graded MS-64. Mostly untoned. Although some sources give the total number produced at varying numbers, the actual mintage figure is most likely 11,250 coins. This issue, while released into circulation, was saved in great numbers by savvy coin collectors; many coins were quickly stashed away in collections for their unparalleled artistic splendor. This very choice MS64 is among the more attractive High Relief "Flat Rim" Twenties in the affordable range. With clear design detail and velvety smooth surfaces that are free of most bothersome marks, it could slip effortlessly into a Gem quality Type Set of United States gold and no one would be any the wiser. The color is a light reddish gold. It is surprisingly brilliant, dare we say "flashy." Viewed under best light and with low magnification, its immense beauty stands forth as a bold statement to American coin design (PCGS # 9136) . Estimated Value $20,000 - 21,000. Ex: The Brentwood Park Estate. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3558		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. Flat relief. PCGS graded MS-65. Lustrous surfaces and pale golden mint color. Virtually immaculate fields stream light out in every direction. Additionally, this date is easier said than done to find fully struck. The centers pack full detail into the design from a decidedly precision strike. A must-have No Motto Saint-Gaudens twenty (PCGS # 9141) . Estimated Value $2,400 - 2,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3559		1907 $20 St. Gaudens. Flat relief. NGC graded MS-63. Untoned with a couple of light marks on Liberty's blouse (PCGS # 9141) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,121
Lot 3560		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. NGC graded MS-67. Star. Nice light even gold toning. A nice original coin. Terrific detail from a very clear-cut strike and a true "star" attraction for the connoisseur where quality is king in today's market; this sort of perfection is what collectors like better to see than wishy-washy detail and lifeless mint bloom. As an added benefit, the fields are a lovely warm golden color. When all is said and done, it is not easy to find such freedom from bagmarks or other impairment. So too crisp definition on the main devices counts for a lot. The photos show, the coin offers the prospective bidder mathematically exact standards, making this the definitive '08 No Motto double eagle in its grade. Pop 9; 13 finer in 68 (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $7,188
Lot 3561		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. NGC graded MS-67. Star. Beautiful golden toning on both sides. The limited number of top-end Gem MS67 survivors never fail to excite bidders when one appears at auction. In addition to unqualified technical superiority, this coin's beauty is enhanced by rich gold and peach-orange toning. We have described the luster. In winding up this brief sketch, we point to it being a well struck coin for what is sometimes a problematic 1908 No Motto Type. All areas show refined detail in the important high points including Liberty's skirt lines and facial elements. All signs point to a pleasing bias in its favor among prospective collectors. Bid accordingly. Pop 8; 13 in 68 plus the Wells Fargo graded coins (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $7,188
Lot 3562		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-66 Wells Fargo Nevada Gold. A beautiful example with rich original mint bloom colors. "It is not all gold that glareth" says Geoffrey Chaucer, but he probably wasn't looking at this beautiful orange-gold double eagle! In an old green label holder (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $2,000 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 3563		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64. Nice lightly toned gold luster reflects off the fields (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $700 - 750. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3564		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64. Very choice. Comfortably pulsating with lovely orange-gold to pink-tinted hues, the devices are entirely free of bothersome striking incompleteness (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $700 - 750. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $978
Lot 3565		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. PCGS graded MS-64. Sparkels with brilliant mint luster. Having that in mind for the mint frostiness, we see as well a full, deep-set transfer from die to planchet notable in the figure of Liberty and also the eagle's feathers (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $700 - 750. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,006
Lot 3566		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. NGC graded MS-62. Nice original golden toning, lovely pinkish gold in the frost (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $625 - 650. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $834
Lot 3567		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. NGC graded MS-62. Nice original toning with luster and a fairish to middling number of light abrasions for the grade (PCGS # 9142) . Estimated Value $625 - 650. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $822
Lot 3568		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. MS-60. Frosty. Estimated Value $600 - 625. View details	Realized $748
Lot 3569		1908-D $20 St. Gaudens. No motto. EF-45. Several short marks on Liberty and in the field. Estimated Value $600 - 625. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $776
Lot 3570		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. With motto. PCGS graded MS-62. Congress instructed the Mint to restore IN GOD WE TRUST to the $20 double eagle and $10 eagle this year (PCGS # 9147) . Estimated Value $700 - 725. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $891
Lot 3571		1908 $20 St. Gaudens. With motto. AU-55. Lightly toned and still quite lustrous. Estimated Value $625 - 650. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $748
Lot 3572		1908-S $20 St. Gaudens. With motto. PCGS graded MS-63 PQ. A well struck Premium Quality example with lovely golden toning. Only 22,000 struck. What is most in full view when we examine this coin is its thick, golden mint luster -- it makes a determined effort to cover each side unhindered by deep abrasions and free of even a trace of copper staining. A coin with outward charm far in excess of its grade that will delight the serious double eagle collector. Clear-cut devices point to it having been giving a full, sharp blow by the dies as well. Weakness sometimes occurs at a few central locations on most of this S-mint issue, but not on this handsome coin. Pop 12; 52 finer (PCGS # 9149) . Estimated Value $17,000 - 18,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $19,090
Lot 3573		1909 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded Proof 64. All Proof double eagles struck this year were of the Roman gold style of the sandblast (sometimes called "matte") Proofing process. As such, the coin has an inordinately bright, glowing look to it for a Proof. The surfaces display rich yellow-gold color, and we note a wide square rim on the obverse and reverse. Of course, this piece is the greatest rarity, the elite among Saint-Gaudens pieces, with full importance to numismatics in general and the advanced collector in particular. Very few were struck in 1909. It wouldn't surprise us to learn, that the number of survivors is lower than most suppose, given that many in the population databases were multiple submittals. Only 67 Proofs struck. Pop 7; 2 in 65, 1 in 66, 2 in 67 (PCGS # 9206) . The surfaces on these fine Proofs is entirely unlike the light or dark sandblast finishes of 1908 and 1911 to 1915, and often described as a hybrid between matte and brilliant when on coins of 1909 and 1910. Estimated Value $30,000 - 33,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $51,750
Lot 3574		1909-D $20 St. Gaudens. MS-60 Plus. A bright and fully lustrous gold double eagle. A scarce coin in high grade, the low mintage explaining why '09-D is scarce, 52,500 pieces. Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,380
Lot 3575		1909-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58. Untoned and choice for the grade, with something approaching 95% luster all of a light pinkish gold hue (PCGS # 9152) . Estimated Value $750 - 800. Ex: The Brentwood Park Estate. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,500
Lot 3576		1910 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Delicate uniform golden mint bloom toning adds to this coin's appeal. Only 482,000 pieces made (PCGS # 9154) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,093
Lot 3577		$20 St. Gaudens. 1910. AU-50. This one circulated briefly. Estimated Value $575 - 600. From the Benson collection and purchased from Ira S. Reed on August 17, 1944 for $41.00. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $805
Lot 3578		1910-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. Rich reddish golden mint bloom colors. A brilliant Gem quality coin with dazzling luster, virtually three-dimensional, almost jumping out at the viewer. Talk about a piece with a lot of life! (PCGS # 9155) . Estimated Value $1,800 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3579		1911-D $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-67. Well struck and untoned. A lustrous example whose luxuriant Sun-scorched blast of golden color flashes, undulates and billows across the surface of the coin like a satiny molten flood. Among the rest of the characteristics, the coin displays clear-cut devices from having been giving a full strike by the dies. This shows impressively on Liberty's facial features, her body and skirt lines, and of course throughout the feather-covered eagle that soars majestically on the reverse. Only a single short mark passes through a couple of the upper wing feathers; the surface is utterly pristine without this. For collectors of U.S. gold coinage, the Saint-Gaudens series is woven into the texture of life. How could it be otherwise? In the heady period of the present age of numismatics, no other gold coin has quite the same allure, and the collector today who, when the time comes, retires from his pursuit, will have more memories than he can shake a stick at if this 1911-D twenty was a part of that experience. Pop 26; 1 finer in 67 star (PCGS # 9158) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $12,075
Lot 3580		1911-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. Well struck and a hint of light gold toning. About as close to watertight MS65 perfection as can be expected, this vibrant '11-D glows with satiny warmth (PCGS # 9158) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,380
Lot 3581		1911-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. Old green holder. Well struck and lightly toned. A Gem quality example, the strike is noteworthy since all the focal features are well defined. The luster radiant with a nice reciprocating sheen (PCGS # 9158) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,725
Lot 3582		$20 St. Gaudens. 1911-D. PCGS graded MS-63. Nice for the moderate grade assigned, and with strong luster and a decent strike (PCGS # 9158) . Estimated Value $750 - 800. From the Benson collection and purchased from Wilkes circa 1944 for $36. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $874
Lot 3583		1911-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Lovely rose-gold and reddish gold patina with smooth satiny finish on both sides; minimal contact marks and a bold strike (PCGS # 9159) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,150
Lot 3584		1911-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Old green holder. Frosty and choice with bright color (PCGS # 9159) . Estimated Value $750 - 800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,466
Lot 3585		1911-S $20 St. Gaudens. EF-45. Lustrous with some light abrasions on Liberty. Estimated Value $600 - 625. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $776
Lot 3586		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Nice golden toning. Well struck. Pop 306; 26 in 65; 5 in 66. (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $2,900 - 3,100. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3587		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58. A few too many contact marks to grade strictly Uncirculated. Light golden toning. Low mintage: 149,750 (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $600 - 625. Ex Superior's Feb. 1973 Auction, lot 1013. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $782
Lot 3588		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58. Just the faintest hint of friction, and a mark on the knee. Lustrous (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $600 - 625. Ex Superior's Dec. 1972 Auction, lot 2091. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $805
Lot 3589		1913-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. Light golden toning. Fully radiant -- an important and rare feature for this often not all that well preserved D-mint date -- the surfaces display Gem quality metallic golden color whose glow is almost unnerving to view. According to our observations, including the key highpoints of Liberty's knee, toes, and face, the strike is above-average, in fact sharp, in all areas. So too with the eagle's wing and breast areas. Pop 314; 4 in 66 (PCGS # 9162) . Estimated Value $3,800 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,025
Lot 3590		1913-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-60. Forsty with a hint of light gold toning. Well struck. A scarce date (PCGS # 9163) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,380
Lot 3591		1913-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58. Untoned and nice for the grade, this being one of the scarcer, low mintage issues from the 'teens of the last century. Extensive frost everywhere (PCGS # 9163) . Estimated Value $750 - 800. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $863
Lot 3592		1914-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. Old green holder. Brilliant and refreshingly clean for this grade, with flickering luster in the fields and sundrenched golden devices. The fields show natural color and satin with much eye-appeal (PCGS # 9166) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,438
Lot 3593		1914-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Delicate golden-orange mint luster. A well struck coin (PCGS # 9166) . Estimated Value $700 - 725. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $920
Lot 3594		1915 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded Proof 66. NGC #1805608-004. Identical finish to 1914. Only 74 Proofs made, although now extremely rare with few survivors. "Many rumored to have been melted in 1916-17." (In the Breen Proofs book.) The 1915 double eagle has always been a coin collectors aspire to own when it has been offered for sale in public auction, which is all to infrequently nowadays. Simply stated, it is rare with possibly as few as 30 pieces known. The surfaces of this coin have a smooth sandblast texture, somewhat lighter in hue than some 1914 $20 Proofs in similar grade, with a noticeably attractive yellow-gold cast or complexion to the color. They are utterly outstanding, a coin squarely within its illustrious '66 grade classification, and then some. The design feature are needle-sharp throughout -- it stands to reason everything would be bold, since $20 gold Proofs were the premiere coin of their day. Come to think of it, they are the premiere coin of today as well: A marvel of coin preservation! 50 proofs struck. Pop 5; 1 finer in 67. Estimated Value $75,000 - 80,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 3595		1915 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. A lovely example with rich golden mint bloom luster. Low mintage issue. The satin-like gleam of originality is safe and sound from most abrasions of measurable size. What's more, this is a solidly graded example, a coin displaying above-average definition for a 1915 $20. This is to say that the strike is complete, not even a single drapery fold on Liberty's body. Pop 222; 32 finer in 65 (PCGS # 9167) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,400. Ex Hesselgesser duplicate. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 3596		1915 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Encapsulated in an old green holder. Scarce date in choice Uncirculated, a coin boasting brilliant golden color with satiny surfaces. Pop 458; 208 in 64, 31 in 65 (PCGS # 9167) . Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,610
Lot 3597		1916-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. A well struck gem with lovely pale golden mint bloom colors. Fully lustrous -- an important and rare feature for this typically well preserved issue -- the surfaces display dominant color. In order to understand the grade further, notice that it is struck with care only now and then found, when it comes to the usual softness at the centers on some dates in the series, this piece, on the contrary, received a full blow by the dies (PCGS # 9169) . Estimated Value $1,600 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,070
Lot 3598		1916-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Rich sunset golden toning, this being the sole $20 gold issue of 1916, the year before America got involved in World War I. No more double eagles would be minted again until 1920 (PCGS # 9169) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,208
Lot 3599		1916-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. A hint of light golden toning. The satiny luster swirls and eddies as the viewer tilts the coin under a strong light. Bold strike everywhere (PCGS # 9169) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. Ex: The Brentwood Park Estate. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,208
Lot 3600		1920 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64 PQ. Lovely original golden toning with a pinkish rose tint to it. Well struck Premium Quality example that should grade MS 65 in the future. Very conservatively graded, we are sure bidders will agree. Pop 466; 1 finer in 65 (PCGS # 9170) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold

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