United States 1863-S 20 dollars
This specimen was lot 1634 in Jean Elsen sale 165 (Brussels, June 2026), where it sold for €3,600 (about US$4,957 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ÉTATS-UNIS, AV 20 dollars, 1863 S. Très Beau. (United States, gold twenty dollars of 1863. Very Fine.)"
The San Francisco mint struck this type 1854-66. Its products are not rare but few of the early dates survive in choice condition. During the Civil War, the San Francisco mint usually surpassed the Philadelphia mint in striking gold. This design was struck at New Orleans, Philadelphia and Carson City until 1907 with modifications to the reverse (in 1866, "IN GOD WE TRUST" was added and in 1877, "TWENTY DOLLARS" was spelled out).
Recorded mintage: 966,570.
Specification: 33.43 g, 0.900 fine gold, 34 mm diameter, .483 troy oz AGW, reeded edge, designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Catalog reference: KM 74.1, Fr-172.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 165, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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