When it comes to rare Saint-Gaudens $20 gold double eagle coins, one of the rarest is the 1921 Roman Proof Saint-Gaudens $20 double eagle.
A lot of coin collectors and high level numismatists were shocked in the summer of 2000 when Sotheby’s auction house offered an example of a 1921 Saint-Gaudens twenty dollars double eagle gold coin with a special Proof Roman-finish.
This beautiful gold coin is absolutely stunning. The 1921 Roman Proof Saint-Guadens gold double eagle has an interesting story, one we still don’t know to be fully accurate.
Six years later in 2006, a 2nd Roman gold double eagle came public. The coin grade on this newfound example indicates that it is in a higher level of preservation than the first one. Originally, expert numismatists improperly graded the gold coin as a MS-63 versus a PR-63. Some have suggested that mint workers struck the coin for Raymond T. Baker, director of the U.S. Mint to commemorate the birth of his nephew.
The gold coin found in 2006 sold for $1,495,000. It was sold at Bowers & Merena, ANA World’s Fair of Money, Denver, CO.
Since mint records do not reveal how many 1921 Roman-finish Proof coins were made, it is possible that another example exist. It’s very unlikely, but if you do find one of these special rare gold coins, you may be able to sell that gold coin for a lot of money.
Photo credit goes to: Bowers & Merena
