Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 48

Pre-Long Beach Coin Auction

$20 Liberty/No Motto

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1679		1922-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Lightly toned on both sides. Exceptional quality for 1922-S. Each side has a beaming reddish gold luster that gleams serenely. Struck with scientific exactness throughout the main devices, including full wing and breast detail on the eagle. In modern times many 1922-S double eagles have appeared on the auction scene, although most are in Mint State 60 to 63 and anything finer remains a rarity. While somewhat over 1,000 examples are estimated to exist, the numismatic supply is very small, considering the great demand for Saint-Gaudens double eagles and also the fact that many have disappeared into the woodwork. Pop 213; 12 finer with 10 in 65, 2 in 66 (PCGS # 9174) . Estimated Value $7,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $8,338
Lot 1680		1923 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. A very fresh-appearing coin whose luster is gleaming over both sides (PCGS # 9175) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,006
Lot 1681		1923 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. Beautiful quality given the modest grade. Each side has a bright reddish-gold center that is surrounded by a wide margin of rolling fresh luster (PCGS # 9175) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,006
Lot 1682		1923 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. Color is mostly reddish-gold in shade, but flickers of tinted iridescence can be found. Chocie and frosty (PCGS # 9175) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,006
Lot 1683		1923 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. A few bagmarks on this choice, lustrous coin. The 1923 P-mint issue has high squarish rims and heavy mint frost which differ markedly from the look of the 1923 D-mint coins (PCGS # 9175) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,006
Lot 1684		1923 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-63. Full frosty surfaces and an excellent strike (PCGS # 9175) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $920
Lot 1685		1923-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-67 CAC approved. A magnificent golden-sunset gem with intense satiny mint luster throughout. First, a description of the luster: luminous golden surfaces. Next a word about the strike: Superb! Put another way, the pressure transmitted from the die to the blank reveals itself in sharp features on Liberty (face, knee, toes, gown folds) as well as just as crisp detail on the soaring eagle (breast feathers, wings and flight feathers, beak and face). In an old green label PCGS holder (PCGS # 9176) . Estimated Value $9,000 - 9,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $12,363
Lot 1686		1923-D $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. A nice coin. About as close to watertight perfection as can be expected in terms of vibrant luster, sharp relief, and only minimal signs of bagmarks. Very attractive (PCGS # 9176) . Estimated Value $1,150 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,150
Lot 1687		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. A light touch of tone just starting to form (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1688		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-63. Untoned. A choice, lustrous example (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $978
Lot 1689		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. Untoned (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $891
Lot 1690		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-61 (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $834
Lot 1691		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. MS-60 Plus. Frosty and untoned (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $863
Lot 1692		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. MS-60 Plus. Mostly untoned (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $834
Lot 1693		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. MS-60 Plus. Light reverse rim nicks. Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $870
Lot 1694		1924 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-61. Some bagmarks. Lustrous (PCGS # 9177) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $805
Lot 1695		1924-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Intensely lustrous and quite choice. With pinkish gold brilliance on the devices and spreading effortless across the surface, giving a strong "cartwheel" effect. Most coins of this date are inadequately struck; some are much better, however; and collectors, true to their tradition, wish that all could be like this nicely struck '24-D example exhibiting fine detail to all the high points, including all the key areas. Identifiable by a tiny mark below the knee and another, equally as inconsequential, through a sun ray below the end of Liberty's torch. Pop 147: 8 in 65, 2 in 66. (PCGS # 9178) . Estimated Value $12,000 - 13,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $12,650
Lot 1696		1924-D $20 St. Gaudens. NCS graded About Uncirculated Details, improperly cleaned. We note three moderate cuts in the obverse field, still worth our conservative estimate. A desirable scarcer date in the series, this will likely be a good opportunity to actually purchase an affordable example. Many of the original mintage of over 3 million coins went to the furnaces after the gold recall, and were turned into gold bars, leaving few for modern day collectors (PCGS # 9178) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,265
Lot 1697		1924-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. Nice and frosty and basically untoned. A choice Mint State example of this difficult S-mint issue. This piece is quite attractive for the assigned grade, being very well struck with pleasing reddish accents to the brilliant luster that covers the surface on both sides. A heavily melted date (PCGS # 9179) . Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $4,600
Lot 1698		1925 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. A lovely gem with hints or rose color toning. Both the peripheries and the central areas are impressive for their glowing color, and the frosty textured surfaces are glistening. No deviation in the sharp relief seen, either, not even in the highest points of the design (PCGS # 9180) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,380
Lot 1699		1925 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. Lightly toned but with booming luster that really captures the beauty of this choice coin (PCGS # 9180) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,121
Lot 1700		1925-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. A well struck beauty and very choice. Unrivaled in terms of exterior beauty, both sides of this golden twenty are well frosted and for all intents and purposes tone-free. Both the peripheries and the central reverse are detailed and close to 100% crisp for their sharpness of strike, which is a forceful reminder in a coin from this mint that it is quality that counts. Regarded coolly, without moving from the chair in which you are seated reading this, we can honestly say that to find another carefully graded and beautiful '25-D like this, especially at the visual level this coin supplies the viewer, is an undertaking not to be sneezed at. Pop 115; 6 finer with 4 in 65, 2 in 66 (PCGS # 9181) . Estimated Value $20,000 - 22,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1701		1925-D $20 St. Gaudens. NCS graded About Uncirculated Details, improperly cleaned. Now lightly toned. Noticeably hairlined, especially on the obverse, but regaining respectable orange-gold patina about the devices. One of several branch mint double eagles that were melted in large numbers in the 1930s and today very scarce in all grades (PCGS # 9181) . Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,740
Lot 1702		1925-S $20 St. Gaudens. NCS graded About Uncirculated Details, improperly cleaned. The 1925-S is another of the scarcer mass-melted branch mint Saint-Gaudens $20s from this decade that actually circulated to any appreciable extent. Most specimens that are offered grade Extremely Fine or About Uncirculated, with marginal quality uncirculated pieces being for the most part elusive. This example is well struck on the highest points and has reddish-gold surfaces (PCGS # 9182) . Estimated Value $2,250 - 2,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,160
Lot 1703		1926 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Intensely brilliant with glowing color, vibrant surfaces (PCGS # 9183) . Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,050. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,035
Lot 1704		1926-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. In PCGS holder 11447593. Well struck, nice and froslty and untoned. Among Saint-Gaudens double eagles the 1926-D is one of the most elusive of its era. The present piece is dazzles us with its brilliance and displays full frosty all luster, with only a few bagmarks present, the most notable one a small nick on the left breast of Liberty. From top to bottom and side to side, the coin is not merely "very" attractive, but downright, indisputably decidedly attractive, and it compares favorably with some that have been called Mint State 64. In terms of the branch mint double eagles minted in the 1920s, the production figure for the 1926-D was on the low side, with 481,000 pieces the recorded figure. As seems likely, only a few thousands were put into circulation, perhaps as few as 1,000 or so. Today, the census is believed to range up to 450 pieces, making it a rarity in all grades. Catalogers in the 1940s and 1950s were fond of describing this as a Key Date in the series; it is still a very scarce issue in this regard, and for bidders to transmit their appreciation of this fact, a strong bid is called for. Pop 53; 24 finer with 17 in 64, 5 in 65, 2 in 66 (PCGS # 9184) . Estimated Value $33,000 - 35,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1705		1926-S $20 St. Gaudens. NCS graded About Uncirculated Details, improperly cleaned. Cleaned long ago and now retoning. A scarcer S-mint date from the 1920s (PCGS # 9185) . Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,150
Lot 1706		1927 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-66. Rich golden toning. Completely original with nice mint brilliance over smooth, clean surfaces and a refreshing look of fresh-from-the-dies indicators. Pop 4802; 12 finer in 67 (PCGS # 9186) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1707		1927 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-66. A splendid gem glittering with rich golden toning. This coin too displays surfaces that are highly lustrous and each side has pitching luster that swirls and alternates between lighter and darker hues. Pop 4802; 12 finer in 67 (PCGS # 9186) . Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,600. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 1708		1927 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. Untoned. Lustrous (PCGS # 9186) . Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $834
Lot 1709		1927 $20 St. Gaudens. MS-60 or better. A brilliant intensely luminous example. Estimated Value $900 - 950. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $891
Lot 1710		1927-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Well struck and lustrous, bursting with rich golden mint bloom colors. Some minor contact marks scattered about, none of which are too serious. The golden color flows smoothly over both sides and is full with a somewhat satin texture. This is a decidedly above-average example with good details, unlike most S-mint twenties this year. It has no bothersome spots or points of wear, nor did the dies leave behind a less than rigid impression in the form of softness in the centers. The centers are fully detailed, including the eagle's breast and leg feathers. Many issues in the Saint-Gaudens series from the 1920s and 1930s had a substantial mintage. In this case, 3.1 million S-mint $20s were produced in this year. However, the bulk of these was melted in the 1930s. By the early 1940s, the 1927-S was thought to be the fourth scarcest dates in the series and was considered by many as more elusive than even the 1927-D. The 1950s changed that perception a few pieces began to turn up in European hoards acquired by American coin dealers and bullion traders. The 1927-S is, today, still among the most elusive issues in the Saint-Gaudens double eagle series, hence the fervor with which they are sought out by specialized collectors. Pop 27; 5 in 64, 5 in 65, 2 in 66, 1 in 67 (PCGS # 9188) . Estimated Value $45,000 - 50,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $42,550
Lot 1711		1928 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Delicate golden toning. In a first generation PCGS holder. Estimated Value $950 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1712		1932 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. In PCGS holder 90114469. A popular key date. A nice frosty coin. The 1932 Saint-Gaudens is a modern day rarity whose numbers have not been increased over the years by hoards or European stockpiles. Experts estimate that out of the 1.1 million pieces struck, only 50 to 60 may exist today in all grades. The 1932 is a member of a very exclusive group, the key 1929-32 club which comprises a string of $20 dates whose general unavailability is of near legendary scope. Most coin collectors and non-specialists have never seen these coins and they usually only appear for sale in major public auctions. Lovely shades of vivid golden and pale orange toning grace both sides of the piece. What is most noticeable when one first raises this coin before ones eyes to stare in wonderment is its amazing mint luster -- the luster swirls from side-to-side unimpeded by noticeable abrasions, free from even a brush with tarnish. A coin of singular beauty and importance to the collector. We have mentioned the luster. In winding up this description, we point to it being a strongly struck coin, with sharp detail to all the important high points. Impressively so! Pop 25; 7 finer in 66 (PCGS # 9194) . Estimated Value $85,000 - 95,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $97,750

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