1916-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 796,000 made
- Mintage
- 796,000
- 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 1916-S 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 1916-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle rare?
- Somewhat. 796,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1916-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 1916 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 1916 are scarcer?
- The 1913-S at 34,000, the 1920-S at 558,000, the 1915-S at 567,500, plus 1 more. So the 1916-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1916-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins were made?
- 796,000.
What to check on your 1916-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread.
- 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 1916-S weighs 33.436 g and measures 34 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1916-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 796,000 in 1916, from 567,500 the year before. After that, San Francisco didn't make another until 1920.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1916 you find is from San Francisco. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1926 (816,750) and the 1911-S (775,750).
San Francisco struck the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle in 15 issues between 1908 and 1930. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1908-S (With Motto) (22,000). Within the 1910s it's 13th smallest of 16, between the 1911-S (775,750) and the 1911-D (846,500).
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 1916
A new generation of silver designs arrived: the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty quarter and the Walking Liberty half dollar. The first Standing Liberty quarters were struck in very small numbers late in the 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 | 1916 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 796,000 |
| Face value | $20 |
| Composition | 90% gold, 10% copper |
| Weight | 33.436 grams |
| Diameter | 34 mm |
| Edge | Lettered E PLURIBUS UNUM |
| Designer | Augustus Saint-Gaudens |
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.