1925-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-61 (NGC).Vivid medium gold surfaces support an overall bold strike and lively mint luster. The coin is very smooth for the assigned grade, suggesting that premium bids are in order for this key date double eagle. The 1925-S is one of the most challenging Saint-Gaudens twenties to locate in high grades, a mintage of 3,776,500 pieces concealing its true rarity. Most of the coins struck were retained in federal vaults until destroyed through melting in the late 1930s. Many of the survivors have been repatriated from foreign bank hoards in recent decades, but the numbers involved are small enough that the 1925-S remains elusive in todays market. Furthermore, this is the only mintmarked double eagle of its era for which approximately half of the extant population is circulated as opposed to Mint State. Clearly this example represents a significant find for the advanced 20th century gold enthusiast.
