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1909 $20 PR66 NGC. There were 67 proof double eag

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:55,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1909 $20 PR66 NGC. There were 67 proof double eag
<B>1909<$20> PR66 NGC.</B></I> There were 67 proof double eagles officially struck in 1909. An interesting numismatic sidenote is mentioned in Akers' (1981) book on this series, and we quote in part: "In my 443 catalogue survey, the 1909 appeared more often in proof than any other Saint-Gaudens double eagle. I have no explanation for this since it has been my experience that the 1909 is one of the rarest proofs of this type. It is more rare than most of the Liberty Head proofs after 1895. It is my opinion that no more than 20-25 proofs of this date still exist." It would seem that 28 appearances of proofs in his survey was only a statistical aberration, and we would agree that 1909 proof twenties are indeed much rarer than indicated by the number recorded in his survey. We tend to believe, however, that the number of survivors is somewhat higher than stated by Akers and would estimate that somewhere between 25 and 35 proofs may still exist. <BR> All proof twenties struck this year were of the Roman Gold variant of the matte proofing process. As such, the coin has an exceptionally bright, sparkling appearance for a matte proof. The surfaces have a pleasing rich yellow-gold color. Population: 8 in 66, 2 finer (5/05).