1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 566,000 made
- Mintage
- 566,000
- 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 1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle rare?
- Somewhat. 566,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
- On the obverse, above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1923 are scarcer?
- The 1920 at 228,250, the 1921 at 528,500. So the 1923 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins were made?
- 566,000.
What to check on your 1923
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1923 weighs 33.436 g and measures 34 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1923
Philadelphia made 566,000 in 1923, down from 1.4 million in 1922. The next year it made 4.3 million (1924).
1923-D came to 1.7 million, so neither mint's 1923 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1915-S (567,500) and the 1920-S (558,000).
Philadelphia struck the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle in 24 issues between 1907 and 1933. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1907 (High Relief) (12,367). Within the 1920s it's 6th smallest of 21, between the 1920-S (558,000) and the 1926 (816,750).
Postwar mintages and overseas hoards (1917 to 1928)
Double eagle production stopped from 1917 through 1919. When it resumed in 1920, much of the output went into Treasury vaults or abroad as reserves. The 1920-S and 1921 are rare because most were melted in the 1930s. The 1927-D is one of the great rarities of American gold, with only a handful known from 180,000 struck.
The Philadelphia coins of 1924 to 1928 are among the most common double eagles because many were shipped to European banks and later returned in quantity. Branch mint coins of the same years tell a different story. The 1924-D, 1924-S, 1925-D, 1925-S, 1926-D and 1926-S are scarce despite mostly large mintages because most were melted. Bag marks and rim nicks are the usual flaws on the repatriated Philadelphia coins.
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 | 1923 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 566,000 |
| 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 1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 566,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1923-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 1,702,250 | 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.