United States 1879 20 dollars
This specimen was lot 1639 in Jean Elsen sale 165 (Brussels, June 2026), where it sold for €3,000 (about US$4,131 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ÉTATS-UNIS, AV 20 dollars, 1879. Nettoyé. Griffes et taches noires au droit. Très Beau. (United States, gold twenty dollars of 1879. Cleaned, scratches and black stains on the obverse, Very Fine.)"
The Philadelphia mint struck this type 1877-1907. Its products are not rare but this is a better date. After the Civil War, paper currency began to displace coins for large transactions and gold coins spent most of their lives in vaults. As a result, survivors may be bagmarked but rarely come heavily worn. In the 1870's and 1880's, the San Francisco mint usually surpassed the Philadelphia mint in striking gold. This design was struck at New Orleans (1879 only), San Francisco 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: 207,600 plus 30 proofs.
Specification: 33.43 g, 0.900 fine gold, 34 mm diameter, .483 troy oz AGW, reeded edge, designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Catalog reference: KM 74.3, Fr-177.
- 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.
Link to: