How to Identify the Liberty Head Double Eagle

What Is the Liberty Head Double Eagle?

The Liberty Head Double Eagle is a $20 gold coin struck by the United States Mint from 1849 through 1907, designed by James B. Longacre. As the largest regular-issue gold denomination of its time, it played a major role in commerce, banking reserves, and international gold trade throughout the second half of the 19th century.

Obverse Design

The obverse shows a left-facing portrait of Liberty wearing a coronet inscribed "LIBERTY," with flowing hair secured by a beaded band, surrounded by thirteen stars and the date below the bust. This coronet head style closely resembles the design used on the smaller gold denominations of the same period.

Reverse Design

The reverse depicts a heraldic eagle with wings spread, a shield on its breast, holding an olive branch and arrows in its talons, with a ribbon of stars and rays above and "TWENTY D." (an abbreviation for twenty dollars) below, surrounded by "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."

Motto Varieties

Early issues (1849-1866) lack any religious motto on the reverse. Beginning in 1866, "IN GOD WE TRUST" was added on a ribbon above the eagle, a change that created two major type varieties: "No Motto" and "With Motto." Checking for the presence or absence of this ribbon is one of the fastest ways to place a Double Eagle into its correct type category.

Size, Weight, Metal, and Edge

The coin is struck in .900 fine gold, approximately 34 mm in diameter and weighing just under 33.5 grams, with a reeded edge. Its substantial size and gold content made it a popular coin for large transactions, bank reserves, and export.

Mint Marks

Mint marks appear on the reverse, below the eagle and above the "TWENTY D." denomination. Coins without a mint mark were struck at the Philadelphia mint, while a small letter such as "S" (San Francisco), "CC" (Carson City), "O" (New Orleans), or "D" (Dahlonega, on very early issues) indicates coinage at a branch mint.

Telling It Apart from Similar Coins

The Liberty Head Double Eagle should not be confused with the later Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (1907-1933), which replaced it with a full-length standing Liberty figure on the obverse and a flying eagle over a sunburst on the reverse, a dramatically different Beaux-Arts style design. Within the Liberty Head series itself, the No Motto and With Motto varieties, along with mint mark differences, are the main distinguishing details collectors check.

Judging Condition and Authenticity

Condition is judged by the sharpness of Liberty's hair detail and coronet lettering, the definition in the eagle's feathers and shield lines, and the presence of original mint luster in the fields. Because of the coin's high gold value, verifying correct weight and diameter, along with a genuine reeded edge and sharp, non-mushy design details, is an important basic check against cast counterfeits or coins that have been altered to show a different mint mark or date.