1909-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 2,774,925 made
- Mintage
- 2,774,925
- Metal
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Weight
- 33.436 g
- Diameter
- 34 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1909-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle worth?
Its gold content does most of the work: a genuine 1909-S is worth at least its 0.9675 troy ounces of gold. Collector demand adds a premium for better grades.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1909-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle rare?
- No. 2.8 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1909-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1909 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
- On the obverse, above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1909 are scarcer?
- The 1908-S (With Motto) at 22,000, the 1913-S at 34,000, the 1911-S at 775,750, plus 2 more. So the 1909-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1909-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins were made?
- 2,774,925.
What to check on your 1909-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1909-D (52,500 made).
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1909 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Proof (, includes 1909/8) (67 made) is the one to compare with.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at Liberty's breast and knee and at the eagle's wing feathers. Contact marks in the open fields are common on these heavy coins.
Gold coins are counterfeited more than any other US coins. A genuine 1909-S weighs 33.436 g and measures 34 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1909-S
San Francisco ramped up hard in 1909: 2,774,925 coins, about 126 times the 1908 run. The next year it made 2.1 million (1910-S).
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1909-D (52,500) and 1909 (161,282).
San Francisco struck the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle in 15 issues between 1908 and 1930. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1908-S (With Motto) (22,000). Within the 1900s it's 9th smallest of 10, between the 1908-D (No Motto) (663,750) and the 1908 (No Motto) (4.3 million).
The 1909/8 and the 48 stars (1909 to 1916)
The 1909/8 overdate came from a 1908 die altered for the new year. Traces of the 8 can be seen within the 9 under a loupe. The 1909-D with 52,500 struck and the 1913-S with 34,000 are the scarce dates of the period. In 1912 two stars were added to the ring on the obverse, raising it from 46 to 48 for New Mexico and Arizona.
San Francisco struck large numbers in some years, including 2,774,925 in 1909 and 1,498,000 in 1914, while Philadelphia mintages stayed between about 95,000 and 482,000. Proofs of these years were made in very small numbers with matte and satin-like finishes. No double eagles were made after the 1916-S until 1920. Branch mint coins of this era are often found with heavy bag marks.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1909
The Lincoln cent replaced the Indian Head cent to mark the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Designer Victor David Brenner's initials V.D.B. on the reverse were removed within days after complaints. The New Orleans Mint struck its last coins that year.
How to recognize it
Liberty strides forward holding a torch and an olive branch, with the Capitol building at her feet and rays of the sun behind her. The reverse shows an eagle in flight above a rising sun. The edge is lettered E PLURIBUS UNUM between stars. The 1907 high relief coins show the date in Roman numerals; later coins use Arabic numerals and lower relief.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (1907–1933) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 2,774,925 |
| Face value | $20 |
| Composition | 90% gold, 10% copper |
| Weight | 33.436 grams |
| Diameter | 34 mm |
| Edge | Lettered E PLURIBUS UNUM |
| Designer | Augustus Saint-Gaudens |
Other 1909 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (, includes 1909/8) | 161,282 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1909 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Proof (, includes 1909/8) | 67 | Proof | – |
| 1909-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 52,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1909-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 2,774,925 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: Saint-Gaudens double eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.