4497

1908-S $20 AU55 NGC. One could probably win a bar bet

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:3,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1908-S $20 AU55 NGC. One could probably win a bar bet
<B>1908-S<$20> AU55 NGC.</B></I> One could probably win a bar bet -- at a major coin convention, at least -- by challenging a numismatist to come up with the lowest mintage date of the normal relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle series. Despite the numerous major rarities in the series, the answer would be this coin, the 1908-S, whose total issue amounted to only 22,000 pieces. In part, this is evidence of how little mintage figures correspond with true rarity, but in the case of this date, it would probably be safe to say that it is less likely to be encountered in hoard quantity in the future. Unlike many Saint-Gaudens double eagles, the 1908-S is more often found circulated than not, and such is the case with this honey-gold coin, which displays light wear along Liberty's forehead, breast, and right (facing) leg, as well as on the eagle's breast and wing. A good deal of mint luster is evident in the recessed areas of the design.