A rare $20 gold coin issued by the Denver Mint in 1927 was acquired by GreatCollections for $3.84 million after spirited bidding on January 16th.

The 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is one of only a few in private hands. It was graded MS-65+ by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and approved by Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC), the two leading third-party grading services for rare coins.
"We are thrilled to have won this Grail of American numismatics. It’s a dream coin for collectors, essential for completing a collection of the Saint-Gaudens series. It might be many years before another appears on the market. Our goal was to pay under $4 million, so it worked out perfectly," said Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections.
Only about a dozen 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles are known today, out of an original mintage of 180,000. Four are in permanent museum collections, including three examples in the Smithsonian and another in the Museum of Connecticut History. The balance of the original mintage was likely melted following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 executive order banning private gold ownership.
The coin has a pedigree dating back to the 1940s before being acquired by Orange County resident and respected numismatist Dr. Steven Duckor in 1984 for just $198,000. Over the past thirty years, the rare coin market has increased significantly, especially for trophy coins and rarities.
The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is one of the most iconic and celebrated coins in American numismatic history, issued from 1907 to 1933. It was commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt as part of his effort to beautify U.S. coinage in the early 20th century. The design is considered a masterpiece and still routinely ranks worldwide as one of the most iconic coin designs ever.
Duckor studied the Saint-Gaudens series, among others, and assembled one of the finest collections, long before third-party coin grading services such as PCGS and CAC changed the market.
"The Duckor pedigree for Saint-Gaudens is one we value; many of the coins in his former set are currently in the finest collections owned by clients of GreatCollections, including the all-time #1 set – the Elite Collection," continued Russell.
GreatCollections manages wantlists and assists collectors with all aspects of numismatics, aside from their own weekly auctions of certified coins and paper money. In a recent GreatCollections auction, the finest 1943-S Lincoln Cent struck in error on a Steel planchet realized $490,500 and semi-unique 1975 No S Proof Roosevelt Dime realized $506,250 – both all-time records.
For more information, contact GreatCollections at 1-800-442-6467 or visit www.greatcollections.com.
About GreatCollections
GreatCollections, the official auction house of the American Numismatic Association, specializes in auctioning certified coins and banknotes, handling transactions from start to finish. Since its founding in 2010, GreatCollections has successfully auctioned over 1.6 million certified coins, making it one of the leading certified coin companies in the United States with annual sales in 2024 exceeding $200 million. Ian Russell, owner/president of GreatCollections, is a member of the prestigious Professional Numismatists Guild, member of the National Auctioneers Association and was named the ANA Harry J. Forman Dealer of the Year. For more information about GreatCollections, visit www.greatcollections.com or call 800-442-6467.
Currently Spot Gold is Up ~ $37.00/ounce
In Exactly the last 10 years, the USD Index has only seen a one day decline worse than it is Currently…17 times…
That’s 17 times out of 2607 days or .0065% of the time…
Well,
Now is as good a time as ever to upgrade my Monopoly Board Game Supplies.
Papa worked as a jeweler in PA before & during the depression always looked for a 1932, or ‘33 Saint in his stuff. No luck so far, Mom is 96 and has a few boxes of his, not able to look at all….kinda makes some interesting dreams…
Help her set up an estate…
Look under the floorboards or attic later! You never know!?
Trump want USA to buy tik tok for our government to run w the Chinese, goofy & talk about 1sr Amendment issues…..
E1,
The book came today. Love it!
What’s great about it is that any collector can have one or more coins within it.
From 1C, Golden Dollars, ASE’s, to Commems it covers many bases. Yeah, ultra rarities of course.
REB has 50/100 lol, maybe?(you’d like the book REB)…
I was surprised to have 5 or 6 in the bunch, kinda fun!
There’s 10 new entries this go around I think. I like that they keep the past top 100’s as notables. I’ll leave you with a couple of clues(new entries) that we’d guessed the other day…
Later
Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll have to check it out.
Was the FHG privy in there or did it come out too late?
Too late,
All of the new entries are 2019-2023 coins.
With the exception of one coin from 2014.
You let one cat out of the bay sort of. #52 is some W Quarter. I’m guessing its is one of the two I got in PCGS MS-64 instead of 65. Or maybe be it is all the quarters collectively because it says Quarters plural
I went and looked and I think I have about 11 coins from the 4th edition greatest 100. A few probably got knocked off in the 5th edition
Well good work Vinnie, you’re a pretty diverse collector I think.
You like varieties & errors too? I might take a look at some of those favorite varieties more closely.
I’m going to look for what I have in this year’s edition and post a pic.
Collecting is a worthwhile hobby for me, and books like this enhance the enjoyment.
Yes, all of the W Quarters are included in this new edition, and for good reason. These W’s were/are a hit for pocket change & roll searchers. Is there an album with holes for the W’s?
I got a few reverse proof ASEs and other coins and 1994 matte finish nickel and the 1996-w dime that made the previous list. I’m thinking the 2019-S ERP ASE (I failed in the USM ordering frenzy) knocked on of my ASE RP off the list. I’m guess in the 2019-W UNC penny might have knocked something else out.
The RP coins are holding fairly steady.
No 2019 ASE or 2019 1C made the new list. Keep guessing!
I will say this; The Commems got slaughtered with 5 axed, and a couple of others with 20+ rank demotions.
Two Commems did make the new list due to low mintage, etc I think?
Commems are volatile.
I found 20 coins of mine on the list lol, didn’t realize that I’m a modern junkie like E1 & REB !! A few of them are fairly common favorites fwiw.
Rick,
Regarding the 100 Greatest Moderns 5th Edition, I am categorically 30 out of 100, but over 50 specimens in hand. It’s official, you’re one of us now.
Cheers
E1,
I’ve never seen or heard that ‘vintage unplugged’ version of Old Man by Neil, only the Studio version on the radio. It blew me away, thanks! What a talent he is.
As far as old? I’m one of the younger punks around here(60), but I’m catching on, where have all the years gone?
I’m not surprised in the least that you have 30-50 top 100 coins…Boorish Coin Snobs Rule!
I’ve got a photo of a top 100 ‘sampling’ that I came up with that I’ll post @ the ASE article soon. Nothing fancy…..
Rick, I posted that music video because it is the only song I know that mentions a coin. I thought you would appreciate that rarity. Also, it reminds me of my dad, God rest his soul, my old man. All the coins, stamps, and art – I’m a lot like him. And I am much older than you. So, I must be the Old Man. Music is risky on a blog. Different meanings for different folks. I’m just grateful it did not offend you. A very high quality blast from the past. Young is now Old and so am I.… Read more »
Thumbs-up Old Man
When I was young, this song was so cool. Now it’s surreal. Ten to fifteen years from now, my collection might make it to the CN auction headlines. That would be awesome.
Peace Out
Rick,
Here is another song that I sing to myself after I’ve overspent for the month on coins. I cannot believe this video is now 25 years old. What a jewel it is.
In the end, I have found the most simplistic and basic values of numismatics to be the most comforting – rare historical beauty held in one’s own hand and captured by one’s own eye.
For our friends in Florida.
Rick,
An MS70 Farewell and Best Wishes
E1
That song, and the band never get old. They were a staple growing up. As usual E1…
Great Stuff!
E1 & Rick,
I still get goose bumps watching Lynyrd Skynyrd play Free Bird recorded live at the Oakland Coliseum Stadium, Oakland, CA on 7/2/1977.
Rich,
I was there too. One of many “Days on the Green.”
Cheers
Love that cover,
It’s probably the best song that they do live I think.
This video looks to have been taken in their prime in the early 90’s. A friend and I went to see them at Mile High Stadium at that time…Total blast, especially when they had Metallica as the opener.
Old Coin Snobs Rule!
Peace Out
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is targeting one of the federal government’s most notorious examples of waste: the penny. Getting rid of the penny would be an early test of DOGE’s influence: Could it help eliminate a piece of government inefficiency that has survived decades of reform attempts? On Tuesday, DOGE’s account on X highlighted the coin’s mounting costs: In fiscal year 2023, taxpayers spent more than $179 million producing over 4.5 billion pennies, with each coin costing more than three cents to make. Despite bipartisan recognition of the penny’s costs since at least the 1970s, efforts to phase… Read more »
DOGE takes aim at the penny
And the debate will continue, probably for years to come since the 1C, and 5C costs are small potatoes when looking at .gov waste as a whole. You never know though?
They won’t change the composition, that I’m sure of.
Agree on all three points…
Continue for years, small potatoes when looking at government waste, and Not changing the composition…
IF there is a change in procedures…
….It won’t be about saving money….
Guys, We’ve all heard this one so many times during our tenure. It’s been debated to wits end on numerous occasions over the years by so many different people. Well, here are the key points that I recall. Maybe the DOGE is listening. 1. $150M a year is nothing compared to a $10T a year defense budget – this is chump change to Uncle Sam. . 2. By the combinatorial logic of making change, it is feasible to remove the cent from circulation. However, it is unfeasible to remove the nickel from circulation. . 3. The United States is the… Read more »
9.Give cash paying customers the option to electronically donate their “Pennies” from their transaction to a significant American charity. For example, the Schriner’s Children’s Hospital or Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. National Cash Register (NCR) and IBM could update all POS terminal software to accommodate this option in the checkout process. The funds could be transmitted electronically and effortlessly to the charity’s account with each transaction. This would cut down on a significant number of pennies entering circulation and would still allow for the dispensing of pennies to those that still want then. Customers would still get all of their other… Read more »
#7) Maybe the new redemption kiosks’ can be outfitted with an electro-magnetic copper/zinc discriminator device with a live PM feed, thus giving me an instant up-to-date spot price trade for my semi-precious coinage?
I worked really hard for my 1.6M Wheats!
…..(⊙ˍ⊙)…..
PS: Not my wheats below, but a fair & feasible solution?
there’s only two (semi-good) ways to solve it: 1) change the cent composition to cheaper materials. the mint toyed with aluminum cents in the 70s but opted against it. they could also go back to the wwii-era steel cents again. but i fear that even if the metal were free, it won’t really be less than $0.01 to make each cent, because probably the main cost now is the labor involved in making them, not the metal itself. but it could potentially at least reduce the loss on each one. 2) charge the banks the production cost for these coins… Read more »
That would be a 1944-S Lincoln Cent struck on a steel plantchet, not a 1943-S.
Antonio,
That’s a beauty. Steelies and 100% Zincs have always been a favorite.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Antonio,
I have known of the 44 Steelies. But I was never fully aware of just how truly rare they are. Only 77 known to exist. Most have been wiped out by environmental damage. Your example must be new to the scene and it is in such a high grade to boot. Definitely a “Rock Star Coin.” Better yet, a “King Coin.”
Do you have any 43 Coppers?
Again, Thank You for Sharing!
I’m a bit disappointed at the execution of the tree on the upcoming platinum proof. The tree is out of balance and has horizontal gaps/lines in the foliage. This could have been adjusted with a few more raised leafy areas on the left side.
Line art – pic 1
USM site photo – pic 2
Green dots indicating horizontal gaps or lines on USM photo – pic3
Pic 2
Pic 3
Shark,
I’ve noticed some similarities when comparing the ’24 L&B Silver to the new Pt coin.
The foliage seems to also carry the same horizontal ‘bushiness’(circled in green) with gaps above & below them…
I don’t mind the gaps so much when you consider the ‘ultra contrast’ between the foliage & branches against the smooth black fields(in red)..
Maybe that’s in part what they want to convey(or an easier engrave)? It might look ok, tough call on that one. Zoomed TrueView L&B below…
Context: Full Medal reverse view of foliage & branches vs Proof background fields.
Either way, the Pt coin is going to look good!
Rick,
It provides an undulating flow so it probably strikes up better. I would have liked to see it look more like a white oak with a more symmetrical shape. See the wiki pic for white oak below. I’m sure they took their sketch from a pic off of the internet. The laser texture is also a bit bland in trying to represent the foliage.
I wasn’t a fan of the acorn-to-tree symbolism of the phrases of the First Amendment. I’ll give ’em points for trying but the execution of the series was kind of clunky in my opinion. Picture 3 certainly makes an argument for the first colorized platinum coin!
Let’s See…
From the United States Mint 2024 Annual Report:
(Numismatic side) FY2024 SG&A = $111.9M
(Numismatic side) FY2023 SG&A = $ 85.2M
That would be a Y/Y Increase in SG&A of $26.7M or 31.1%
Hardly a surprise don’t you think?
Much of that $26M was used to create the Official USM Office of DEIA, but not all of it I’m sure.
Was the DEIA Office closed under Executive Orders yesterday?
Most certainly not. That Office was smartly shuttered a couple of months ago because they saw the writing on the wall, as did others with common sense.
The USM’s new cultural shift/slogan is now(unofficially)called “FTA”(Fairness, Trust, and Accountability)…Let’s see how that shakes out?
Source: USM Annual Report–2023, 2024.
PS:
In defense of Ms Gibson(which I do when warranted), is simply this…
She was forced to create the USM Office of DEIA by the Executives above her.
IMO.
Will “FTA” be fully implemented and realized at the USM moving forward?
As they say, time will tell.
Nearly a One Year ago post about FY2024 SG&A…
· cagcrisp says
February 2, 2024
The 230th Anniversary Flowing Hair Gold coin and the 230th Anniversary Flowing Hair Silver Medal are both currently scheduled to be released “Fall 2024”
IF that means FY2025, then there will be a Boatload of SG&A allocated to FY2024 without a single coin or medal being sold.
That is just the way SG&A works…