What one $20 Double Eagle is worth in gold
One $20 Double Eagle contains 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold, from a coin weighing 33.436 grams at 900 parts per thousand. At the current benchmark that metal is worth $4,243. The benchmark behind it was set on , and every figure on this page moves with it.
| How many | Face value | Pure gold | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20.00 | 0.9675 ozt | $4,243 |
| 2 | $40.00 | 1.9350 ozt | $8,487 |
| 5 | $100.00 | 4.8375 ozt | $21,218 |
| 10 | $200.00 | 9.6749 ozt | $42,436 |
| 20 | $400.00 | 19.35 ozt | $84,873 |
What the coin is
The $20 Double Eagle weighs 33.436 grams at 90% gold, giving 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold. It was the largest denomination the United States struck for circulation, produced from 1850 until 1933, and it was genuinely used as money rather than made for collectors.
There are two designs. The Liberty Head, struck from 1850 to 1907, and the Saint-Gaudens, struck from 1907 to 1933 and widely considered the finest piece of American coin design ever produced. Augustus Saint-Gaudens produced it at Theodore Roosevelt’s direct request, and the first 1907 coins were struck in extremely high relief that proved impractical for production.
The gold content sits just under a full troy ounce, which makes these awkward to compare against modern bullion at a glance. A Double Eagle holds about 3.25% less gold than a one ounce Gold Eagle, so the two are close but never equal.
Is it worth more than its metal?
Essentially every Double Eagle is worth more than its gold. Even the most common dates in worn condition carry a meaningful premium because they are pre-1933 US gold, a finite and heavily collected category, and there is constant demand from buyers who want historic gold rather than modern bullion.
Beyond that baseline the range is enormous. Carson City coins, early Liberty Head dates, the 1907 High Relief and the ultra high relief patterns are worth many multiples of melt. Condition drives price hard: a certified uncirculated common date can be worth several times a worn one containing identical gold.
The 1933 Double Eagle is the famous one. Almost none were legally released before the gold recall, and ownership is illegal with a single monetised exception, which sold at auction in 2021 for $18.9 million. Any coin offered as a 1933 is either a different date, a counterfeit, or a federal problem.
Selling it
Never sell a pre-1933 US gold coin as scrap. This is the strongest version of the warning that applies to every coin on this site: a refiner buys metal, will pay metal prices, and will destroy something that a collector market values well above its gold content.
Take it to a dealer who handles US gold, or have it graded and certified first if it looks uncirculated. The cost of grading is trivial against the difference it can make on a coin in this category, and a certified coin sells to a much wider pool of buyers.
Melt, resale and appraisal value sets out why those three numbers differ for the same object, and how we calculate shows every constant used on this page.
$20 Double Eagle questions
How much gold is in a $20 Double Eagle?
0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold, from a coin weighing 33.436 grams at 90% fineness. That is slightly under a full troy ounce, about 3.25% less than a one ounce American Gold Eagle.
Is a Double Eagle worth more than its gold?
Almost always, and often by a wide margin. Pre-1933 US gold is a finite, heavily collected category, so even common worn dates carry a premium, and rare dates or high grades are worth many multiples of melt.
Why is the 1933 Double Eagle illegal to own?
The issue was struck but never legally released before the 1933 gold recall, so surviving examples are considered government property. One coin was monetised and made legal to own, and it sold for $18.9 million in 2021.
What is a Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle?
The design struck from 1907 to 1933, produced by Augustus Saint-Gaudens at Theodore Roosevelt’s request and widely regarded as the finest US coin design. The 1907 High Relief version is particularly sought after.