1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 4,323,500 made
- Mintage
- 4,323,500
- 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 1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle worth?
Its gold content does most of the work: a genuine 1924 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 1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle rare?
- No. With 4.3 million made, it's one of the most common Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles.
- Is the 1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
- On the obverse, above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1924 are scarcer?
- The 1920 at 228,250, the 1921 at 528,500, the 1923 at 566,000, plus 5 more. So the 1924 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins were made?
- 4,323,500.
What to check on your 1924
- 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 1924 weighs 33.436 g and measures 34 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1924
Philadelphia ramped up hard in 1924: 4,323,500 coins, about 7.6 times the 1923 run. In 1925 the figure was 2.8 million.
1924-S came to 2.9 million and 1924-D came to 3 million, so neither mint's 1924 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Across Philadelphia's 24 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues, the hardest to find is the 1907 (High Relief) with 12,367 made. The 1924 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1920s it's 20th smallest of 21, between the 1925-S (3.8 million) and the 1928 (8.8 million).
More on the 1924
Philadelphia's 4,323,500 double eagles made it the largest of the three 1924 issues, well ahead of Denver's 3,049,500 and San Francisco's 2,927,500. The difference on paper is modest, but the difference in survival is enormous. Coins like these rarely changed hands in daily life; they mostly served as bank reserves and in international payments.
Look first at the obverse just above the date. A Saint-Gaudens double eagle carries its mint mark there, so a 1924 with nothing above the date is the common Philadelphia coin, while a D or S turns it into a scarce coin. Once you've confirmed the mint, judge the grade by Liberty's breast and knee, which are the high points and show wear first, then look for bag marks on her body and in the fields. A genuine coin weighs 33.436 grams. Typical uncirculated 1924s trade close to gold value with a small premium, which makes them a favorite type coin for gold collectors.
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 | 1924 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 4,323,500 |
| 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 1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 4,323,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1924-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 3,049,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1924-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 2,927,500 | 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.