1928 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 8,816,000 made
- Mintage
- 8,816,000
- 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 1928 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle worth?
Its gold content does most of the work: a genuine 1928 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 1928 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle rare?
- No. With 8.8 million made, it's one of the most common Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles.
- Is the 1928 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1928 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
- On the obverse, above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1928 are scarcer?
- The 1933 at 445,500, the 1923 at 566,000, the 1926 at 816,750, plus 6 more. So the 1928 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1928 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins were made?
- 8,816,000.
What to check on your 1928
- 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 1928 weighs 33.436 g and measures 34 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1928
Philadelphia made 8,816,000 in 1928, up from 2.9 million in 1927. In 1929 the figure was 1.8 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1928 you find is from Philadelphia.
Of the 24 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles Philadelphia struck between 1907 and 1933, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest Philadelphia issue is the 1907 (High Relief) at 12,367. No Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle of the 1920s had a bigger run.
More on the 1928
Philadelphia was the only mint to strike double eagles in 1928, making 8,816,000. That's the largest total of any Saint-Gaudens double eagle issue, roughly double Philadelphia's 4,323,500 of 1924. Neither Denver nor San Francisco struck double eagles that year.
It was also close to the end of the line. The double eagles dated 1929 to 1932 are rare because most were melted after the gold recall of 1933, when an executive order required Americans to turn in most of their gold coins. The 1933 coins were never officially released. That makes the 1928 the last plentiful date of the design and a natural choice for anyone who wants one Saint-Gaudens double eagle for its beauty and gold. Most survivors are uncirculated with bag marks and rim nicks. Judge the grade by Liberty's breast and knee and by the number of marks in the fields. Typical coins trade near gold value with a small premium; clean, lustrous pieces bring more.
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 1928
The Peace dollar was struck only in Philadelphia and San Francisco. The Philadelphia figure of 360,649 is the lowest of the series.
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 | 1928 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 8,816,000 |
| 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.