1872 Liberty Head Double Eagle

1872 Liberty Head double eagle $20 gold coins are rather common by date, as more than 1 million were made and many still survive today, for the most part. The Philadelphia, Carson City, and San Francisco mints struck double eagles in 1872, and the bulk of those coins came from California’s minting facility. Of course, that’s not surprising given that the San Francisco mint was geographically situated in the heart of the Gold Rush region of California. Gold coins were mainly used in the West, though they did see some action along the eastern seaboard. Of course, $20 was a large sum of money in the 1870s, and as such double eagles were mainly used during large transactions, most often banking related.

Here is a breakdown of the mintages and values of 1872 double eagle gold coins:

• 1872, 251,850; $2,617

• 1872-CC, 26,900; $7,136

• 1872-S, 780,000; $2,617

• 1872 proof, 30; $250,000

*Values are for coins in a grade of Extremely Fine 40 unless otherwise specified.

1872 $20 double eagle gold coins weigh 33.44 grams and contain 0.9613 ounces of gold. They’re also 34 millimeters wide, which places their diameter about halfway between the widths of a modern-day half dollar and silver dollar. The double eagle’s large size and heavy weight make them very popular among coin collectors and investors alike.