1920-S Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. MS-64 (PCGS).Delightful rose-orange surfaces are vividly patinated with a full quota of soft mint luster. Both sides are sharply struck with carefully preserved surfaces that are uncommonly smooth even at the Choice Mint State grade level. The 1920-S is one of the many double eagle issues from the 1920s and 1930s that was melted in quantity in 1937. While 558,000 coins were struck, almost all of them remained in federal vaults until destroyed on government order. Only 100 to 150 examples are believed extant in all grades -- a survival rate of 0.027% that ranks the 1920-S as the fifth rarest Saint-Gaudens double eagle in terms of total number of survivors. Among collectible issues of this type only the 1921, 1927-D and 1930-S are more challenging to locate than the 1920-S. (The fourth issue that ranks ahead of the 1920-S in rarity is the 1933, a non-collectible date of which only one example is currently in private hands.) With Mint State survivors usually appearing on the market only once in a long while, the fleeting opportunity that the present lot represents should not be overlooked.From the A & A Saints Collection: the #5 All-Time Finest PCGS Registry Set of St. Gaudens $20 Gold Basic Set, Circulation Strikes. Ex Bella.
