Cheapest Pre-33 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold
You are looking at the Pre-33 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, a U.S. coin many collectors call America's most beautiful. It carries 0.9675 troy ounces of actual gold weight at .900 fine purity, struck by the U.S. Mint from 1907 through 1933.
What is the cheapest Pre-33 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold right now?
The lowest-premium Pre-33 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold listing across our tracked dealers appears at the top of the grid above. Premiums are recalculated against live spot every hour.
What is the Pre-33 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Struck by the U.S. Mint from 1907 to 1933 in a $20 face value denomination. Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed it at Theodore Roosevelt's personal request, and the obverse Liberty figure is widely considered the high-water mark of American coin art.
The specs are simple. Each coin holds 0.9675 troy oz of pure gold. Fineness is .900, total gross weight 33.436 grams, diameter 34 mm. The remaining 10% is copper, which is why the coin wears better than a softer .9999 modern issue.
There are two main design varieties. The 1907 ultra-high-relief and high-relief strikes are rare and expensive. Everything from late 1907 through 1933 is the more common low-relief production version, and those are what almost all bullion buyers actually own.
How much does a Saint-Gaudens cost today?
Across the dealers we track, the lowest live offer for a random-year Pre-33 Saint sits at $4552.09 at APMEX, with a premium of ~$29.61 (today) over spot. Spot itself is at $4,674.4 as of
.Premiums on common-date Saints typically run higher than on a generic gold round but in line with or below comparable pre-1933 European fractional gold. Why higher than a round? You are paying for U.S. provenance, the historical premium, and the fact that supply is fixed and shrinking as coins get melted or locked into long-term collections.
See today's cheapest Saint-GaudensFive dealers in our index currently list the coin, so there is real price competition. Click through, compare shipping and payment-method discounts, and pick the best landed cost.
Why do collectors call it America's most beautiful coin?
Theodore Roosevelt wanted American coinage to look like ancient Greek coinage. He hired Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the leading American sculptor of his day, and gave him near-total artistic freedom. The result is a Liberty figure mid-stride, torch raised, olive branch extended, with the U.S. Capitol behind her in low silhouette.
The reverse is just as good. A flying eagle in profile, with a sunrise behind it, gives the coin a sense of motion almost no other circulating coin has ever managed. Compared to the static heraldic eagles on most U.S. coins, the Saint reverse feels alive.
It is also a technically demanding coin to strike. The original 1907 ultra-high-relief required multiple strikes to bring up the design. The Mint flattened the relief for production, but even the low-relief version is dramatically more sculptural than typical circulating coinage. That is most of why people still talk about it.
Should you buy a Saint-Gaudens for bullion or for collecting?
It depends on what you actually want. If your goal is the most gold per dollar, a modern American Gold Eagle, Maple Leaf, or Krugerrand will usually beat a Saint on premium. If your goal is gold with U.S. history attached and a coin you actually enjoy holding, the Saint is hard to beat.
A reasonable middle path is buying common-date, dealer-graded MS-62 or MS-63 coins. These trade close to their melt value plus a modest historical premium, are extremely liquid, and look fantastic in hand. Avoid paying big premiums for slightly higher slab grades on common dates unless the coin itself is genuinely original and attractive.
If you are a date collector or chasing rare mint marks, the Saint series has plenty of depth. But that is a different game than stacking, and the prices reflect it.
How do you store and sell pre-33 gold?
Storage is straightforward. The coin is .900 fine, so it is more wear-resistant than a .9999 modern coin. Most buyers keep slabs in a safe or a safe deposit box. Raw coins should go in non-PVC flips or a coin tube to keep the surfaces clean.
When you sell, almost any major U.S. bullion dealer will buy back common-date Saints. Pricing is tied to current spot plus a buy-side premium for graded examples. Random-date raw coins trade at the lowest spread; graded MS-63 and MS-64 from common years are the most liquid graded tier.
Keep your purchase receipts. For tax purposes in the U.S., physical gold is a collectible, and your basis matters when you eventually sell.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much gold is in a Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
Each Pre-33 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle contains 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold. Total weight is 33.436 grams at .900 fineness, with the remaining 10% copper for durability.
What years was the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle minted?
The U.S. Mint struck the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle from 1907 through 1933. Production ended when President Franklin Roosevelt's gold recall took $20 gold pieces out of circulation.
Is the Saint-Gaudens a good bullion buy?
It is a solid choice if you want gold with U.S. historical provenance. Premiums run higher than on a modern Gold Eagle or Maple Leaf, but common-date MS-62 and MS-63 examples stay close to melt and are very liquid. For pure lowest-premium bullion, a modern coin will usually win.
What is the difference between high-relief and low-relief Saints?
The 1907 ultra-high-relief and high-relief strikes are scarce, sculptural, and expensive numismatic coins. The low-relief production version, struck from late 1907 through 1933, is what bullion buyers typically own. The low-relief design is flatter so the Mint could strike it in one pass.
Why is the Saint-Gaudens called America's most beautiful coin?
Theodore Roosevelt commissioned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign U.S. gold coinage in the style of ancient Greek coins. The striding Liberty obverse and flying eagle reverse give it more motion and sculptural depth than any other circulating U.S. coin, which is why collectors and historians still rank it first.