1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,375,500 made
- Mintage
- 1,375,500
- 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 1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
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 1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle rare?
- Somewhat. 1,375,500 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
- On the obverse, above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1922 are scarcer?
- The 1920 at 228,250, the 1921 at 528,500, the 1923 at 566,000, plus 1 more. So the 1922 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins were made?
- 1,375,500.
What to check on your 1922
- 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 1922 weighs 33.436 g and measures 34 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1922
Philadelphia made 1,375,500 in 1922, up from 528,500 in 1921. In 1923 the figure was 566,000.
1922-S came to 2.7 million, so neither mint's 1922 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1914-S (1,498,000) and the 1923-D (1,702,250).
Across Philadelphia's 24 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues, the hardest to find is the 1907 (High Relief) with 12,367 made. The 1922 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1920s it's 8th smallest of 21, between the 1926 (816,750) and the 1923-D (1.7 million).
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.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1922
Only Denver struck Lincoln cents in 1922. Worn and filled dies at Denver produced cents with a missing mint mark, now known as the 1922 "No D" or "Plain" cent.
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 | 1922 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,375,500 |
| 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 1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 1,375,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1922-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 2,658,000 | 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.