20 Dollars, United States, 1933
20 Dollars, United States, 1933
- Description
- Production of gold coinage was halted early in 1933. All double eagles struck that years were not to be released to the public, but melted down and conveyed as bullion to Fort Knox. But all of the coins were not melted down: as seems inevitable under these circumstances, a handful was spirited away, kept in hiding for decades. One coin surfaced recently, and a complicated arrangement resulted in its being sold at auction for millions of dollars.
- The two coins seen here are the only other 1933 double eagles legally held. They were transferred from the U.S. Mint to the Smithsonian Institution.
- Object Name
- coin
- date made
- 1933
- mint
- U.S. Mint. Philadelphia
- designer
- Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
- place made
- United States
- Physical Description
- gold (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 2 mm x 34.2 mm; 3/32 in x 1 11/32 in
- ID Number
- NU.39166.0002
- catalog number
- 39166.0002
- accession number
- 130752
- Credit Line
- U. S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Mint
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
- United States Double Eagle
- Coins, Currency and Medals
- Exhibition
- The Value of Money
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.