Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 57

Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction

$20 Gold St. Gaudens

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 2584		1910-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Frosty mint surfaces. Color is mostly bright-gold as it shines with iridescence. Few bagmarks can be found. Moreover, devices were struck with energy and full oomph by the dies imparting all design elements boldly (PCGS # 9155) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,013
Lot 2585		1910-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Intensely lustrous. The otherwise pale orange-gold color yields to brilliant hues throughout. Struck with systematic exactness as is standard for D-mint dates after the problematic 1908 No Motto series ended (PCGS # 9155) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 2586		1910-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58. Appealing even golden toning (PCGS # 9155) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,265
Lot 2587		1910-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. Rich golden toning. Strong metal flow augments the already showy mint luster that covers the surfaces, giving the coin a brand new, glowing appearance. The golden brilliance is only broken up by an rare insignificant mark. We end the luster description but wish we could expand on it into several paragraphs. Next, a word about strike: this 1910-S Saint was struck with controlled precision. And not only in a few areas, but throughout. Clearly, the coin stands front and center among its peers. Pop 157; 7 in 66, 1 in 67, 1 in 68 (PCGS # 9156) . Estimated Value $8,500 - 9,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2588		1910-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Golden shades scattered throughout. The mostly warm-gold surfaces display modest, yet pleasing cartwheel satiny effects as the coin turns under the light. Sheer boldness of strike throughout typifies this very attractive '10-S $20 (PCGS # 9156) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,013
Lot 2589		1911 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. Delicate golden hues adds to its appeal. Low mintage, high value date to collectors of this important series. This is a blemish-free case in point of the '11-P in this desirable grade: sleek gold in color, with mint bloom that grabs hold of the satiny effect seen in careful preservation since it was made. Adding to those results, a word about strike: this piece has all but needle-sharp devices, with gorgeous detail on the face and sandal, the eagle's breast and wings (PCGS # 9157) . Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $5,750
Lot 2590		1911 $20. AU 50. Some rim nicks. Low mintage: 197,250. Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,208
Lot 2591		1911-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. This gem exhibits attractive golden orange coloration. A glittering warmly toned Saint with intense satin luster typical of the year, plus a bold strike, and, yes, eye appeal that just won't quit! (PCGS # 9158) . Estimated Value $2,200 - 2,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,415
Lot 2592		1911-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Mostly untoned. This exceptionally pleasing MS64 example has rich luster over each side with subtle accents of toning at the edge. A well-struck example, it boasts good details. Furthermore, the coin has no bothersome abrasions or points of wear (PCGS # 9158) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,811
Lot 2593		1911-D $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded AU-58 (PCGS # 9158) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,236
Lot 2594		1911-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-64. Both sides display a hint of delicate golden toning. Glistening fields rise and fall with original mint bloom. Against this are set serious, frosty design elements. And as for the strike, it, like the luster, is outstanding. A well-struck example of the '11-S emission with sharp details. There are no bothersome copper stains or points of wear. A single minor mark on the left thigh (PCGS # 9159) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 2595		1911-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Old Green Holder. Lightly toned. The surfaces are a modest golden bright, with satiny rather than frosted luster. No one can honestly deny the vibrancy of the surfaces on this '11-S twenty. Originality, too, shows in the fully struck devices exhibiting fine detail to all the high points (PCGS # 9159) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,639
Lot 2596		1911-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. Nice frosty coin (PCGS # 9159) . Estimated Value $1,350 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,409
Lot 2597		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-63. Frosty with a hint of light golden toning. Vivid gold and as crisp and glossy as when it was first released from to the Treasury for distribution. Nicely struck. Unlike some which have the faintest touch of weakness at the centers, this exemplary coin is bold. It doesn't take a detective to see that this is an all-round mint-fresh example (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $3,680
Lot 2598		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Appealing golden orange toning. This example has shimmering golden surfaces and no copper stains. Since our observation is that this date is almost always fully struck, then this sharp coin has every suggestion of careful manufacture as seen in the main devices (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,070
Lot 2599		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. A slightly better date. Lightly toned, both the peripheries and the central areas are impressive for their sharpness of detail, while the frosty textured surfaces are glistening (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $1,900 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,128
Lot 2600		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-62. A trace of golden toning accents both sides on this well struck $20. A better date. When a questioner asked the most powerful banker in the world, J. P. Morgan, at a Senate Select Committee Hearing around this time What is Gold, he replied that "Gold is money, and nothing else is." Twenty one years later, in a time of great distress, the U.S. government passed a law that paper is money, not gold. In 1912, a $20 bill would trade at par for this $20 gold piece. Today, it takes upwards of 75 $20 bills to acquire it! (Looks like J. P. Morgan was right all along.) (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,550. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,380
Lot 2601		1912 $20 St. Gaudens. Obverse planchet flaw (PCGS # 9160) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,121
Lot 2602		1913-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Nice lustrous fields. A vibrant example whose excellent luster and surfaces are relatively free from all but the most trivial luster grazes. In addition, all minute detail fully evident on this bold '13-D (PCGS # 9162) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,099
Lot 2603		1913-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Rich golden orange shades blanket both sides quite nicely. We note a couple minor reverse copper spots (PCGS # 9162) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,458
Lot 2604		1913-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Lovely golden toning. Only 34,000 struck. A satiny matte-like specimen with resilient "satin" style luster typical of pre-1920 $20 Saints. Some faint toning highlights. From the edge to the center, the coin is well struck with no sign of weakness along the curve of the eagle's wing. The breast shows nice detail as well (PCGS # 9163) . Estimated Value $3,500 - 3,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2605		1913-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-62. A hint of light golden tone. The color is vibrant, Liberty and the eagle exhibit unambiguous detail; it is safe to say this '13-S $20 was stamped with precision by the dies: The eagle's beak, its claws are agreeably falcate and sharp; breast feathers on the body full, complete. Best of all, we report no weak areas effacing even the highest points in the design (PCGS # 9163) . Estimated Value $2,300 - 2,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,530
Lot 2606		1914 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded Proof 66. A medium tan color gem matte Proof example. Only 70 Proofs struck. With so few Proof double eagles minted in 1914, and possibly even fewer distributed to collectors (this being the end of the era for matte Proof production), it is no wonder collectors yearn to own a gorgeous 1914 Proof. Survival estimates range from a low of 10 to 15 pieces on up to 20 to 25 coins (the latter being Akers's estimate). Breen describes the 1914 Proofs as having a "coarse sandblast finish." Similar to 1911 and 1912, this piece has slightly larger granularity to the finish than does a comparable Proof 1913. Millions of tiny, diamond-sparkle facets comprise the sandblast finish, and so give it a unique sparkle which is almost mesmerizing when viewed under low-power magnification. There are no surface flaws that we can discover and the sharp detail compares favorably with the crispness seen on the finest examples of this Type. Considering this, as well as the irrefutable eye appeal of the coin, the Proof 66 grade places this in an illustrious group of high-end specimens. An extraordinary chance for the advanced numismatist to acquire a rare date Matte Proof twenty in tip-top condition. Pop 9; 5 finer, 4 in 67, 1 in 68 (PCGS # 9211) . All 1914 Proofs were made with care. They were struck at the Philadelphia Mint on the mint's hydraulic medal press to insure even flow into the die recesses, and a bold relief. America's sandblast Proofs (often referred to as "Matte" finish in numismatic literature) resulted from some experimentation in 1907 at the mint after it was discovered the earlier mirror-finish with frosted relief quality was impossible to achieve on Saint-Gaudens' new design. Owing to the peculiarity of the design of the Saint-Gaudens coins, the entire planchet is struck in such a way that the whole surface of the coin loses the brilliant, polished finish so much valued by collectors. The net result was that the coins left the dies with a bright or satiny appearance. The officials at the Mint decided that since they could not make brilliant Proofs, and wanted something distinctive for collectors, they would sandblast the finished coins. One reason the sandblast surface was considered too radical is that it would prevent the Mint from putting any rejects into circulation. The few remaining sandblast or Matte Proofs of 1914 are the crème de la crème of numismatics today. Estimated Value $55,000 - 60,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $60,375
Lot 2607		1914 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Well struck with light golden toning. Desirable low-mintage year. Unstoppable luster erupts colorfully beneath the golden highlights, while gusts of faint toning form an aura across the design elements of this satiny specimen. The strike is strong including all high points such as Liberty's face, knee and toes, along with full details on the eagle's wings, breast, and claws. Pop 441; 37 in 65, 3 in 66 (PCGS # 9164) . Estimated Value $5,500 - 6,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2608		1914-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65. Rose gold tones accentuate the lustrous surfaces quite well. A small mark on Liberty's blouse. Among the better defined issues in the series, this scintillating '14-D maintains that trend as it displays nice sharpness on all including the highest points of the design. Even the normal softness on the face of Liberty and her knee that is common in other dates is entirely absent. Both sides are graced by glowing luster (PCGS # 9165) . Estimated Value $2,200 - 2,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,645
Lot 2609		1914-D $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. Frosty. Popular Denver Mint issue from the 'teens (PCGS # 9165) . Estimated Value $1,350 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,380
Lot 2610		1914-D $20 St. Gaudens PCGS graded Genuine. PCGS Genuine, Our grade is Sharpness of MS60+ Cleaned (PCGS # 9165) . Estimated Value $1,150 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,209
Lot 2611		1914-D $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58. Light golden toning (PCGS # 9165) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,581
Lot 2612		1914-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Both sides exhibit lovely golden hues. Tremendous detail from a very positive strike, which collectors like better to see than wishy-washy detail; furthermore, the surfaces exhibit almost ostentatious amounts of luster. Contemporary records show that most $20 gold pieces were retained by the banks as backing for currency and check deposits, and a large amount of gold was kept in U.S. Treasury vaults as well (PCGS # 9166) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,783
Lot 2613		1914-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Nicely toned. A lustrous example whose warm golden brilliance whirls dizzily around the surface (PCGS # 9166) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,466
Lot 2614		1914-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-63. Softly toned. This sparkling MS63 boasts swirling luster effects and uncommonly sharp striking detail for being an S-mint issue (PCGS # 9166) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,438
Lot 2615		1914-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-62. Nice lustrous fields, particulary on the reverse. An historic year for America and it's gold coinage, although few numismatists today are aware of it. Panic spread after the outbreak of World War I in the summer of 1914. "When Washington Shut Down Wall Street" by William I. Silber is a book about the banking crisis that year. The history traces Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo's triumph over a monetary crisis that threatened the United States with financial disaster. "The biggest gold outflow in a generation imperiled America's ability to repay its debts abroad. Fear that the United States would abandon the gold standard sent the dollar plummeting on world markets. Without a central bank in the summer of 1914, the United States resembled a headless financial giant." McAdoo stepped in by shutting the New York Stock Exchange for more than four months to prevent Europeans from selling their American securities and demanding gold in return. His actions allowed the as yet unopened bank branches of the Federal Reserve system time to stock their shelves with gold coins and bars. The crisis eased just as they opened at the end of the year (PCGS # 9166) . Estimated Value $1,350 - 1,400. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,351
Lot 2616		1914-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded AU-58. Attractive luster. Mostly untoned. A lightly circulated coin like this has passed through many hands and had adventures of many kinds. But today it lies silent. A silent reminder of the time in our history when gold was money and money was King (PCGS # 9166) . Estimated Value $1,100 - 1,150. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,236
Lot 2617		Withdrawn Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2618		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	Unsold
Lot 2619		1915-S. NGC graded MS-63. Golden orange tones are scattered throughout on both sides. Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,450. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,438
Lot 2620		1915-S $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-65. Lustrous gem. A beauty, with nice snappy gold color on virtually undisturbed surfaces free of discoloration. We have mentioned the luster of this handsome MS65 Saint. In winding up this description, we point to it being a strongly struck coin, which is a characteristic of 1915-S double eagles, by the way, nice sharp detail on all key high points (PCGS # 9168) . Estimated Value $2,200 - 2,300. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,358
Lot 2621		1915-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Lightly toned and frosty. The surfaces are sleek and glowing with a healthy show of gold color. There is no spotting, the rims are unbroken and very choice (PCGS # 9168) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,926
Lot 2622		1915-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Nice golden toning. A solid example of an orange tinted gold coin with minimal abrasions or marks, the luster impresses us with its lovely appearance (PCGS # 9168) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,898
Lot 2623		1915-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Nicely toned. Full frosty luster rounds out this coin's list of memorable attributes (PCGS # 9168) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,524
Lot 2624		1916-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Well struck. Appealing subdued golden toning on both sides (PCGS # 9169) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,581
Lot 2625		1916-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Glistens with mint bloom colors. Very attractive with flaxen to yellow-gold metallic patina over each side. An eye-appealing, radiant specimen (PCGS # 9169) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,553
Lot 2626		1916-S $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Golden orange toning can be seen on both sides. We note a reverse copper spot (PCGS # 9169) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,524
Lot 2627		1920 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Delicate golden tones can be seen on both sides. We have handled numerous 1920-P $20 gold pieces and find Mint States always to be richly frosted with gleaming luster. The strike on this example is complete, and the surfaces radiate warmth from the natural toning (PCGS # 9170) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,639
Lot 2628		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 2629		1921 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-65 PQ. PCGS #11617047. Nice light even golden toning on both sides. Near perfect fields. A beautiful well struck coin. And a key date for this series, lest it be forgotten. Among the finest known 1921 Saint-Gaudens $20 gold pieces. Similar examples have sold for one million dollars. Gorgeous Brilliant Uncirculated and solidly, like the Hope Diamond, in the Gem category is this magnificent specimen. The gleaming fresh yellow-gold luster astounds one and all with its wisp of enchanting pale orange hues, the coin blossoming with vigorous cartwheel spin. Put a strong magnifying glass to the coin and you just might find a few scattered marks, but they are so tiny and obscure as to be lost in the wonderfully rich golden glow. An incredibly rare year from a rather low mintage of only 528,500 pieces made in the depth of a typical but fortunately short business depression following the War boom of 1914-18. It is common to find many other dates in the series, particularly those struck in the 1920s and 1930s, were stored in U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Bank vaults as backing for the currency and demand and savings accounts. Many now doubt were melted in the mid-1930s, with few reaching general circulation at the time of issue. Fewer still were preserved in Mint State, let alone Gem Mint State. A good place to begin the learning curve is to obtain a copy of Q. David Bowers' recent publication, A Guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins. Under the heading for the 1921 coinage, we learn that "While some have sneaked into the market in recent years, and offerings of the past decade are more numerous than in earlier times, no quantities of hundreds or more Mint State pieces have turned up, unlike the case for certain former rarities later in the decade. For the well-moneyed specialist the 1921 is one of the supreme challenges of this decade." Bowers goes on to suggest that perhaps as few as 40 to 60 examples exist in Mint condition, listing but a single MS65 and one MS66 in his table of "field population" and "certified population" statistics. This specimen, far superior to the usual weakly struck 1921, possesses needle-sharp obverse details. There is a full nose and complete toes on Liberty, outstanding too, the drapery folds and torch and branch. Needle-sharpness carries over to the reverse side of the coin as well, where such a majestic eagle soars across the field as to cause one to hold one's breath in amazement. What's more, this specimen has none of the usual "brushed" appearance of lesser quality pieces; the fields and devices are rich and frosty. At the 2007 ANA Convention this coin was on display at our table, David Akers, Double Eagle expert, viewed the coin and deemed it the Third Finest Known. He also said the coin should have been graded Mint State 66. Pop 3; 1 finer in 66 (PCGS # 9172) . Estimated Value $750,000-UP. The Dr. Robert Hesselgesser Collection. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Unsold
Lot 2630		1921 $20 St. Gaudens. NGC graded MS-62. A frosty example, lightly toned. Light bagmarks are noted on both sides, none of which are noteworthy. A mostly brilliant Brilliant Uncirculated example and well within the broad confines of the "Choice" category. Gleaming effervescent luster with its wisp toning boosts the visual attractiveness of the coin with its residual cartwheel frost. A few scattered marks as noted are to be found on the obverse, including some small ones at the thigh and another below the lowest bunch of leaves in the branch, while the reverse has a few marks on the main wing feathers. Broadly speaking, there are three classes of double eagles: common dates (of which hundreds of thousands are known), scarce dates (with a few hundred to a couple of thousand available, but not always seen in every auction), and then we have the truly rare dates. 1921 exemplifies the latter class. A decidedly low mintage of 528,500 pieces was produced in the depths of the short, deep post-World War I business depression. Like other twenties in those days, most of the 1921 issue was kept in storage in U.S. Treasury vaults and presumably melted after 1933, with only a few score reaching actual circulation. Fewer still were preserved in Mint State grades (unlike the post-1929 rarities which all tend to be in Uncirculated condition). David Akers' research established that more than half of all extant specimens are in circulated grades, while most of the others grade no higher than Mint State 60. This coin's appreciably better status places it at High Rarity-7 in Akers' rarity scale. In terms of total pieces known, the 1921 is fourth rarest in the Saint-Gaudens double eagle series after the 1907 Ultra High Relief, 1927-D, and 1933. Although there may be more 1921 double eagles in numismatic collections, the date is more difficult to find in Mint condition than even the widely admired 1930-S and 1931-D. That makes this attractive Mint State 62 an offering of considerable importance to 21st century gold specialists. Be forewarned: Bidders may be surprised to feel a shrewd kick in their estimates arising from the other savvy competitors in the room hoping to snag it when this piece crosses the auction block. Pop 15; 8 finer, 7 in 63, 1 in 64 (PCGS # 9172) . Estimated Value $110,000 - 120,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $143,750
Lot 2631		1922 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-64. Frosty and mostly untoned. Additionally, this P-mint date is easier said than done to find fully struck. The centers pack full detail into the design from a decidedly precision strike. One of the many profitable ventures is for collectors to assemble a date set of Saint-Gaudens $20 gold coins. Only after than can one decide whether to take the plunge with the range of branch mint issues as well -- something only the wealthiest individuals can accomplish (PCGS # 9173) . Estimated Value $1,650 - 1,700. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $2,013
Lot 2632		1922 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Golden orange toning, the fields swirl with luster (PCGS # 9173) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,495
Lot 2633		1922 $20 St. Gaudens. PCGS graded MS-63. Appealing golden shades. One of several attractive MS63 Saint $20s from which to choose (PCGS # 9173) . Estimated Value $1,450 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $1,466

Page 2 of 4

1 | 2 | 3 | 4