1908-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto)
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 22,000 made
- Mintage
- 22,000
- 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 1908-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto) worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1908-S sells well above face value. The flip side is that counterfeits and altered dates are common, so authentication matters.
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 1908-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto) rare?
- Yes. Only 22,000 were made, 2nd lowest of the 52 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1908-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto) real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1908 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 1908 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1908-S.
- How many 1908-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto) coins were made?
- 22,000.
What to check on your 1908-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 1908 (156,258 made).
- Check the reverse for IN GOD WE TRUST. Double eagles of 1907 and early 1908 were struck without the motto; it was added above the sun in mid-1908, so 1908 coins exist both ways.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1908 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Proof (With Motto) (101 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 1908-S weighs 33.436 g and measures 34 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1908-S
This was the first time San Francisco made the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle for circulation: 22,000 coins. The next year it made 2.8 million (1909-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1908 alone came to 4.3 million, roughly 194 for every 1908-S. If you're checking a pile of 1908 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1913-S (34,000) and the 1907 (High Relief) (12,367).
Of the 15 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles San Francisco struck between 1908 and 1930, this is the scarcest. Among the 1900s issues, only the 1907 (High Relief) had a smaller run.
High relief and the motto change (1907 to 1908)
Saint-Gaudens's double eagle was first struck in 1907 in high relief with the date in Roman numerals, MCMVII. Each coin needed several blows of the press, so only 12,367 were made before Chief Engraver Charles Barber reduced the relief. The low relief coins of 1907 use Arabic numerals and were struck in large numbers. A few ultra high relief patterns were made before either version.
Like the eagle, the double eagle lacked IN GOD WE TRUST until Congress restored it in 1908. The 1908 no motto is common, helped by large hoards of uncirculated coins that came back from overseas banks. With motto coins first appeared later in 1908, with the motto added above the sun on the reverse. The 1908-S, with only 22,000 struck, is a scarce issue.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1908
Congress ordered the motto "In God We Trust" restored to US gold coins in May 1908, so both the double eagle and the eagle come in "No Motto" and "With Motto" types this 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 | 1908 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 22,000 |
| 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 1908 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (No Motto) | 4,271,551 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1908 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto) | 156,258 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1908 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Proof (With Motto) | 101 | Proof | – |
| 1908-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (No Motto) | 663,750 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1908-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto) | 349,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1908-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (With Motto) | 22,000 | 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.