1931-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Denver Mint · 106,500 made
- Mintage
- 106,500
- 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 1931-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1931-D 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 1931-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle rare?
- Yes. Only 106,500 were made, 7th lowest of the 52 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1931-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
- On the obverse, above the date. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is D, for Denver.
- How many 1931-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coins were made?
- 106,500.
What to check on your 1931-D
- Make sure the mint mark really is a D. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1931 (2.9 million made).
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- 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 1931-D 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 1931-D
Denver hadn't struck the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle since 1927. When it came back in 1931, it made 106,500. It turned out to be Denver's last Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle for circulation.
The other mint made far more that year: 1931 alone came to 2.9 million, roughly 28 for every 1931-D. If you're checking a pile of 1931 coins, the D is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1914 (95,250) and the 1912 (149,750).
Only the 1909-D has a lower mintage among Denver's 13 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles. Among the 1930s issues, only the 1930-S had a smaller run.
Late dates and the 1933 double eagle (1929 to 1933)
Double eagles from 1929 to 1932 were struck in good numbers but few were ever released. The 1929, 1930-S, 1931, 1931-D and 1932 are all rare because nearly every coin was melted after the gold recall. Survivors are mostly uncirculated and well struck, since they never saw use in commerce. The 1931-D had a mintage of just 106,500. Counterfeits of these late dates exist, so buy them only certified.
The 1933, with 445,500 struck, was never issued. A few left the Mint unofficially and the government pursued them for decades. Only one example, once owned by King Farouk of Egypt, has been legally cleared for private ownership. The rest of the mintage was melted. The series ended with these coins because gold coinage for circulation stopped in 1933.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1931
Coin production fell to some of the lowest levels of the century as the Depression deepened, creating key dates such as the 1931-S 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 | 1931 |
| Mint | Denver Mint |
| Mint mark | "D" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 106,500 |
| 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 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 2,938,250 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1931-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle | 106,500 | 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.