Business Strike:

Far scarcer than its identically dated No Motto counterpart, the 1908 Motto double eagle saw just 156,258 circulation strikes produced. An even more significant factor in determining this issue's rarity is its distribution. Most early date issues in the Saint-Gaudens series were shipped overseas as international trade coins. While we believe that many examples of the 1908 Motto were used in this manner, an unusually large percentage of the mintage seems to have been retained in America until melted in 1937. Indeed, the 1908 Motto has only been minimally represented in repatriations of classic U.S. Mint gold coins from foreign bank hoards, and today it is among the scarcer issues of its type in Mint State.

Proof Strike:

The 1908 is the first regular issue Sand Blast Proof in this series, and it was produced after the Mint added the Motto by order of Congress. The mintage was 101 pieces, a generous total that demonstrates the Mint's optimism for strong sales due to the debut of this new design. Most examples did sell, but no more than 60 or 70 coins are believed extant in all grades.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the August 2023 Global Auction, where it realized $156,000.