Certified 1877-S Pre-33 $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagles

The Liberty Double Eagle was the longest-used design on the historic US Eagle $20 denomination. While the four other denominations in the US Eagle Series were introduced in the 1790s, the Double Eagle was not introduced until after the California Gold Rush. The first release came in 1850. By the 1870s, the coin was well-established in national and international commerce. Learn more about the 1877-S Double Eagles today!

Double Eagle Production in the 1870s

Up until the outbreak of the US Civil War in 1861, the Liberty Gold Double Eagle was produced by three branch mints each year: Philadelphia, New Orleans, and San Francisco. During the period of 1850-1861, Philadelphia carried the load in striking Liberty Double Eagles. The outbreak of the war mean the federal government lost control over the New Orleans Mint. Additionally, gold hoarding was common in the Eastern United States.

Throughout the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era after the war, the San Francisco Mint would take the lead in producing Liberty Gold Double Eagles for the nation. In 1877, production remained firmly rooted in the American West.

In 1877, the San Francisco Mint struck 1,735,000 Double Eagles. Combined with 42,565 coins from the Carson City Mint in Nevada, branch mints in the American West struck nearly 1.8 million coins. This compared to just 397,650 coins from the Philadelphia Mint. The San Francisco Mint alone struck more than four times the volume of Philadelphia.

Iconic Designs

The most notable feature of the 1877 $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle might just be the design change that occurred on the reverse. In total, the US Mint struck three versions of the reverse design for the Liberty Gold Double Eagle. The first, known as Type I, was used from 1849 to 1866. The Type II design was used from 1866 to 1876.

In 1877, the US Mint rolled out the Type III design for the first time. The Type III reverse featured the Great Seal of the United States with the added national motto of IN GOD WE TRUST in the ring of stars above the eagle. This Type III design altered the denomination from TWENTY D. to TWENTY DOLLARS.

For the obverse, the $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle continued with James B. Longacre’s original Liberty bust. Based on Christian Gobrechct’s 1836 design of Liberty featured on the $10 denomination. Liberty is shown here in left-profile relief wearing a coronet emblazoned with the word LIBERTY. There is a ring of 13 stars around her portrait and the 1877 date mark at the bottom.

Buy Certified 1877-S $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagles at JM Bullion

If you have any questions about Liberty Gold Double Eagles, please feel free to ask. JM Bullion customer service is available to assist you at 800-276-6508, online using our web chat, and via our email address.