The 1881 Liberty Head $20 Gold Coin is very scarce, with less than 730,000 pieces struck. Of course, the vast majority of the coins came from the San Francisco mint. While Liberty Head $20 Gold Coins were primarily used in the West, they did see limited degrees of circulation in the cities along the eastern seaboard. Bear in mind, however, that $20 was a lot of money in the 1880s, and therefore Liberty Head $20 Gold Coins were mainly used during large transactions, quite often those that were banking related.
Only two mints struck Liberty Head $20 Gold Coins in 1880, the San Francisco and Philadelphia mints, which is quite a change from the situation in 1879 when four mints (Philadelphia, Carson City, New Orleans, and San Francisco) were involved in striking $20 Liberty Head Gold Coins.
When a coin goes through the grading process, it is put through a series of steps in order to make sure that it receives the proper grade based on its condition. In addition, coins are verified for authenticity and their precious metals content. While the entire process is very subjective, an expert grader or team of experts makes the final determination on a coin’s grade. Obviously, the better the overall condition the coin is in, the more valuable it may be. You can get a good idea of how your coins may be graded by scrutinizing them for any imperfections, scratches or other damage.
Use the specifications below to determine how your Liberty Head $20 Gold Coin might be graded.
Uncirculated: Coins that are assigned a grade of uncirculated look to have never been touched by human hands. Despite their advancing age, these coins are in pristine condition as if they were just struck today. The coin will have no damage or wear to its text or imagery. The coin may, however, have a very slight difference in color or hue. You can closely examine your coins surfaces with a magnifying glass to look for any imperfections in the coin’s details or text. You can also see if there has been any wear and tear to the coin’s surfaces.
Extremely Fine: Coins given a grade of extremely fine are one step below a grade of uncirculated. Coins in this condition may have extremely minor wear and tear on their surfaces. In addition, some of the coin’s details such as imagery or text may appear worn or have scratches. Because the coin has likely exchanged hands many times over, the coin may also take on a smoother feel to the touch. Despite these minor imperfections, coins in this condition are still very attractive to collectors and remain quite beautiful to the eye.
Fine: A coin in fine condition has maintained all of its images and text, although it may have some signs of age. The coin’s finish may appear different and coin details such as text or pictures may be worn from use.
Good:Coins assigned a grade of good have some significant damage to the surfaces, details, edges or color. A magnifying glass may be needed to make out the coin’s images, text or other details. While these coins may appear slightly beat up, they may still be coveted by collectors depending on coin type, mintage and other factors.
If you are attempting to determine a price for a coin that is more than 100 years old, you must look no further than the condition the coin is in and type of coin. The US Mint produced different types of Liberty Head $20 Gold Coins every year, so knowing the type of coin you own will help you when it comes to determining a price. Secondly, the condition the coin is in will play into the asking price. Below is a chart aimed at giving you a better idea of what you will be asked to pay for a Liberty Head $20 Gold Coin given the coin’s condition and type.
Liberty Head $20 Gold Coin
DATE | GOOD | FINE | EXTREMELY FINE | UNCIRCULATED |
---|---|---|---|---|
1881 Liberty Head $20 Gold Coin (S) | N/A | N/A | $1,500 | $1,575 | Source: Red Book |