Liberty Head Double Eagle — Type I No Motto
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
United States • 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
Issue years: 1850–1866
Fine gold: 0.967500 troy oz
United States • 20 U.S. dollars
Liberty Head Double Eagle — Type II Motto, TWENTY D.
Liberty Head Double Eagle — Type II Motto, TWENTY D. has nominal fine gold of 0.9675 troy oz (30.092614 g) at the historical .900 standard. This original $20 subtype combines the reverse motto with abbreviated TWENTY D. lettering. It shares the historical double-eagle fine-gold standard with the preceding and succeeding original Liberty Head types.
National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History; photograph by Jaclyn Nash; paired photograph separated and resized · Image source · Public domain — U.S. federal Smithsonian photograph
National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History; photograph by Jaclyn Nash; paired photograph separated and resized · Image source · Public domain — U.S. federal Smithsonian photograph
When a fresh spot bid is available, melt values use fine-metal content × spot bid. CashForCoins guide buying offers use the separately configured percentage for each metal. Selected rare/numismatic coins require an appraisal. Dollar amounts remain unavailable when a fresh quote or buying percentage is missing.
Verified coin specifications
- Country
- United States
- Face denomination
- 20 U.S. dollars
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
- Gross weight (grams)
- 33.43623756
- Fineness
- 0.9
- Fine-metal weight (troy oz)
- 0.9675
- Diameter (mm)
- 34
- Edge
- Reeded
- Mint
- United States Mint; mint facility varies by issue
- Mint mark
- Varies by issue; inspect reference
- Issue years
- 1866–1876
Type 2 has the motto and abbreviated TWENTY D. reverse denomination. The 1866 date overlaps the final no-motto San Francisco issue.
- Source precision
- Nominal 516-grain gross standard; .900 gold; exact modern unit conversion stored to 8 decimals; fine-weight override derived from historical standard. Catalog reference diameter, not a tolerance or authentication threshold.
Calculate this coin’s metal content
Formula: specified fine-metal troy ounces × quantity. Dollar melt value additionally requires an approved current metal price.
Obverse: identify the front
Liberty faces left with a coronet, surrounded by stars. The paired museum representative is dated 1866. Since the major type distinction is on the reverse, an obverse-only photograph cannot establish Type II.
Reverse: identify the back
IN GOD WE TRUST appears in the star-and-ray area above the heraldic eagle. The bottom denomination remains TWENTY D. This combination separates Type II from the no-motto Type I and spelled-out Type III.
History and purpose
The Mint records addition of the reverse motto in 1866 and the later change to TWENTY DOLLARS in 1877. The intervening design is the Type II group used here. These inscription changes do not change the nominal $20 gold standard.
How to identify this variant
Check both the motto and abbreviated denomination, then the date. The nominal reference diameter is 34 mm. A coin dated 1866 still needs reverse review because no-motto and motto forms overlap in that transition.
Understanding its metal content
The historical standard is 516 grains gross at .900 fineness. Multiply 516 by .900 and divide by 480 grains per troy ounce: 0.9675 fine-gold troy oz. Gross metric mass is derived using 0.06479891 g per grain; the displayed 33.43623756 g is a conversion of the nominal standard, not an assay or the measured mass of a worn coin. The remaining 10% is alloy metal; historical legislation permitted copper or a copper/silver alloy.
Dates, varieties and composition changes
This record ends at 1876, immediately before the expanded denomination lettering. Dates and mint marks within the Type II group require their own issue-level assessment. The museum’s 1866 example is not a photo of each later mint-year issue.
Melt value versus collector value
Preserve the lettering and surfaces. A clear inscription pair can identify the type, but it does not grade the coin or determine an individual issue’s market value. Keep holders and evidence of repairs or mounting with the appraisal record.
Authenticity and condition
Inspect the motto, TWENTY D., eagle, portrait, edge and nominal measurements together. A partially worn denomination should not be reconstructed from expectation. Request examination where the date and reverse seem inconsistent.
Selling this coin
List Type II, date and mint mark when confirmed and supply a readable reverse. Keep different double-eagle types distinct in your description even if a quantity calculation uses their shared nominal fine-gold standard.
Sources and calculation methodology
The historical Mint report and Coinage Act document nominal gold standards; NIST documents the unit conversions. The fine-weight override retains the result from grains instead of recalculating from a rounded catalog gram weight. Design and date references are separate from photographs. These calculations describe correctly identified genuine coins at standard weight. No approved live gold-price feed is configured, so dollar melt values remain unavailable. A collector assessment and a purchase offer are separate from metal content.
Common questions
How do I distinguish Type II from Type III?
Both have IN GOD WE TRUST. Type II uses TWENTY D.; Type III spells TWENTY DOLLARS.
Did the motto add more gold to the coin?
No. The inscription change retained the historical standard of 0.9675 troy oz nominal fine gold per double eagle.
References
- U.S. Mint: Historical gold eagle designs — identity; dates motto added 1866, denomination wording changed 1877; design Longacre double eagle (checked 2026-10-10)
- Historical Coinage Act of 1873, sections 13–14 — weight 516 grains; fineness .900; gold-alloy standard; historical reference, not current legal guidance (checked 2026-10-10)
Issue-year references
Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.
Related coins
Liberty Head Double Eagle — Type III TWENTY DOLLARS
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
United States • 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
Issue years: 1877–1907
Fine gold: 0.967500 troy oz
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