By CoinWeek Notes
Why This Scarce Denver $20 Gold Coin Still Matters
The Denver Mint struck 3,049,500 1924-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles. Yet most examples never reached collectors. Instead, Treasury officials held much of the mintage in reserve, then melted large quantities in the late 1930s. Meanwhile, foreign banks absorbed many of the survivors. Later, collectors and dealers repatriated those coins after the federal government relaxed restrictions on private gold ownership. Because institutions handled these coins as bullion, not as collectibles, many survivors show bag marks, chatter, and other signs of rough contact.
David Akers got the story right
David W. Akers captured the date well in his 1982 reference United States Gold Coins: An Analysis of Auction Records, Volume VI: Double Eagles, 1849-1933. He wrote: “The 1924-D is a scarce date, similar overall to the 1908-S, 1909-D and 1926-S. However, since most known 1924-D twenties are uncirculated, the date is not nearly as rare in Unc. as either the 1908-S or 1909-D.” More than four decades later, that judgment still holds up.
However, the 1924-D tells a more nuanced story in the highest grades. In CoinWeek’s April 2025 census, the date ranked 34th in certified survivors, while the 1908-S ranked 35th and the 1909-D ranked 33rd. Even so, the 1924-D turns tougher in Gem. PCGS also notes that the 1924-D looks roughly twice as scarce in Gem condition as the 1908-S and 1909-D.
As of April 2025, the combined CAC, NGC, and PCGS census showed just over 1,050 uncirculated grading events, with only 20 at MS65 and three at MS66. Moreover, the current PCGS population report, updated April 3, 2026, still shows three MS66 examples.
1924-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle market data and notable specimens
As of April 2026, the top-population snapshot showed PCGS at MS66 with three examples, NGC at MS66 with one example, and CAC at MS65 with two stickered coins and no CAC-graded MS65 examples. CoinWeek also noted that the PCGS, NGC, and CAC MS66 population had stayed stable since at least October 2024.
Finest-known and near-finest pieces
PCGS MS66 #16342339 Sold on August 26, 2025 at the Heritage
Important MS65 examples
PCGS MS65 #25070867– Heritage sold it on January 12, 2023, Lot 3943, for $144,000. The coin shows a gash on Liberty’s right knee, two ticks under the L of LIBERTY, and a small gouge on Liberty’s torso. On the reverse, shallow hits appear on the sun. CoinWeek also listed the August 2014 Stack’s Bowers appearance separately as a passed lot.
PCGS MS65 #14787985 sold at Stack’s on May 14, 2009, Lot 298, for $57,500. Later, Heritage sold it on May 5, 2022, Lot 4093, for $144,000. The coin shows a tick across rays 5 and 6 plus two horizontal scratches above rays 7 and 8 and rays 9 and 10.
Why collectors still chase the 1924-D
Many Saint-Gaudens collectors can locate a Mint State 1924-D. However, truly impressive Gems still resist easy purchase. That tension drives the date’s appeal. On one hand, the coin survives in meaningful numbers. On the other hand, abrasions, weak detail, and institutional handling limit the supply of truly elite pieces. As a result, the 1924-D remains a classic condition rarity inside the series.
Design Elements
Obverse
The obverse shows Liberty in full length, facing forward. She holds an olive branch in her extended left hand and raises a torch in her extended right. She wears a long, flowing classical gown, or chiton, and her hair sweeps to the left. Rather than taking a full step, she appears to hold a poised stance, with her left foot resting on a large rock beside oak leaves. At Liberty’s right, near the bottom, the sun rises behind the U.S. Capitol. Its rays climb behind both the Capitol and Liberty to about waist height. LIBERTY arcs across the top, with the torch separating the I and the B. Forty-eight six-pointed stars circle the design just inside the flat rim. The date appears at lower right, and the ASG monogram sits below it.
Reverse
The reverse repeats the rising sun at the bottom. Its rays stretch upward behind a left-facing eagle in flight with uplifted wings. IN GOD WE TRUST arcs above the sun, with centered triangular dots between the words. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA curves along the upper border, while TWENTY DOLLARS appears below in a second arc. Centered triangular dots divide those words as well.
Edge
The edge carries E PLURIBUS UNUM in raised letters, separated by 13 raised stars.
Designer
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who lived from 1848 to 1907, ranks among America’s greatest sculptors. He trained in Europe, worked in the Beaux Arts tradition, and created many major public monuments. Just as importantly for collectors, he worked with President Theodore Roosevelt to reshape American coin design. That partnership gave the nation two masterpieces: the Indian Head Eagle and the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle.
Coin specifications
Country: United States of America
Year of Issue: 1924
Denomination: Double Eagle ($20 USD)
Mintmark: D (Denver)
Mintage: 3,049,500
Alloy: .900 gold, .100 copper
Weight: 33.436 g, often rounded to 33.44 g
Diameter: 34.00 mm
Edge: Lettered: E * PLURIBUS * UNUM * * * * * * * * * * *
Designer: Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Quality: Business Strike
Great looking coin!!
Nice coin.
A beautiful coin. One of the best designs.
Would love to have this coin