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US gold coin types: dollars through double eagles, Liberty, Indian, Saint
Older US gold comes in $1, $2.50, $3, $5, $10, and $20. Liberty Head, Indian Head, and Saint-Gaudens are the looks people bring in. They are coins with a collector market on top of the gold. A modern Gold Eagle is a different product.
Pre-1933 US gold is denomination gold: $1, $2.50 (quarter eagle), $3, $5 (half eagle), $10 (eagle), $20 (double eagle). Liberty Head, then Indian ($2.50, $5, $10) and Saint-Gaudens ($20). They are .900 gold (the $1 and early types have their own specs). What a double eagle is. Pre-33 vs modern Eagles.
A modern American Gold Eagle is bullion with a face value. A 1908 Indian $5 is a coin. Do not price them the same.
How we sort the tray
- $1 gold: tiny. Type 1 Liberty, Type 2 and 3 Indian princess. Easy to lose. Easy to fake.
- $2.50 and $5 Indian: incuse design (sunken). Unique feel.
- $10 Indian: Saint-Gaudens’ other gold coin. No motto / with motto.
- $20 Liberty vs $20 Saint: the two big ones. Saints after 1907. Why US coins have eagles.
Weigh. Look at the edge. Test. Common dates in circulated grades are melt plus a coin premium. Keys (1911-D $2.50, 1929 $5, 1932 $10 is actually common, 1927-D Saint, and a long list) are a different conversation. We do not guess a 1933 $20 from a photo.
Extra history
The 1933 gold recall is why these sit in estates as “the illegal coins.” They are legal to own. The 1933 $20 is the famous exception. 1933 gold order.
What a shop pays
Common circulated: gold bid plus a type add. Damaged, jewelry-mounted, or polished: closer to melt. Don’t clean. How shops test.
People also ask
Is a $5 Indian the same gold as a $5 Liberty? Same denomination family, different design and sometimes different collector premium. We weigh both.
Is a modern Gold Eagle a double eagle? No. Different law, different weight scheme.
Are $1 gold coins kids’ jewelry? Often. Then they are damaged coins.
Part of the coin and money library · visitors & collectors
Jewelry-mounted $2.50 and $1 gold is the Saturday pile. We unmount only when it is safe; most of the time the bid is gold weight minus the damage. Broken chains.
Common Saints and Liberties in circulated grades move with spot. That is why we weigh first and talk date second. A 1924 Saint is not a 1927-D.
Modern Gold Eagles, Krugerrands, and Maples in the same box are a separate bullion stack.