The 1932 double eagle was never officially released into circulation, but rather they were stockpiled in Treasury vaults immediately after striking. A few found their way into numismatists' hands when they were exchanged for common date double eagles through unofficial connections at the Mint. The Gold Surrender Order put an end to this source and so the remaining coins sat in the vaults. In 1937 the Treasury started melting down gold held in their possession into ingots, virtually all of the 1,101,750 double eagles struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1932 headed off to the melting pots. At most 100 examples remain, all of which are in Mint State. In addition to its rarity, the 1932 double eagle is always popular as the last collectible year of the Saint-Gaudens series. Only one example of the near-mythic 1933 double eagle is currently legal to own.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the March 2020 Showcase Auction, where it realized $93,000.