Today as you
read these words, common-date $20 gold double eagles sell for less of a premium
over bullion value than I have ever seen—and my experience goes back to the
1950s. For just $100 to $200 over melt value many different twenties certified
by PCGS and NGC as MS-63 are available.
If you like to
hold gold in its hard form (rather than ETFs or futures or having it stored
somewhere), Liberty Head and Saint-Gaudens double eagles are a fine way to have
your gold and enjoy it too! Start out with the least
expensive—dates such as 1924, 1926, and 1927. Eventually you will be able to
get several dozen different dates and mintmarks for the range just mentioned or
slightly more.
Once you buy
the basics, you might catch the fever and seek some scarcer and rarer issues.
In that context, building a type set of the six major designs is a good way to
go. A Guide Book of United
States Coins can give you
direction. The first Liberty Head type of 1850 to 1866 is affordable high
circulated grades such as EF-45. This double eagle type is linked to the S.S. Central America, the greatest gold coin treasure
ever found. Because of that connection, quite a few buyers have one of these in
their collections, but have no other gold coins at all.
The second
Liberty Head type 1866-1876 is also affordable in EF-45. The third, 1877-1907
can be easily found in Mint State. The fourth type, the MCMVII High Relief, is
on the expensive side, but still affordable to most advanced collectors. The
fifth and sixth types, 1907-1908 and 1908-1933 are inexpensive in Mint State, and
comprise the coins I mentioned earlier in this article.
All good
wishes to you and your family for a Happy Thanksgiving.
Dave Bowers
