Rare 1927-D Double Eagle Gold Coin Acquired by GreatCollections for $3.84M

A rare $20 gold coin issued by the Denver Mint in 1927 was acquired by GreatCollections for $3.84 million after spirited bidding on January 16th.

The 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is one of only a few in private hands. It was graded MS-65+ by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and approved by Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC), the two leading third-party grading services for rare coins.

"We are thrilled to have won this Grail of American numismatics. It’s a dream coin for collectors, essential for completing a collection of the Saint-Gaudens series. It might be many years before another appears on the market. Our goal was to pay under $4 million, so it worked out perfectly," said Ian Russell, president of GreatCollections.

Only about a dozen 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles are known today, out of an original mintage of 180,000. Four are in permanent museum collections, including three examples in the Smithsonian and another in the Museum of Connecticut History. The balance of the original mintage was likely melted following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 executive order banning private gold ownership.

The coin has a pedigree dating back to the 1940s before being acquired by Orange County resident and respected numismatist Dr. Steven Duckor in 1984 for just $198,000. Over the past thirty years, the rare coin market has increased significantly, especially for trophy coins and rarities.

The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is one of the most iconic and celebrated coins in American numismatic history, issued from 1907 to 1933. It was commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt as part of his effort to beautify U.S. coinage in the early 20th century. The design is considered a masterpiece and still routinely ranks worldwide as one of the most iconic coin designs ever.

Duckor studied the Saint-Gaudens series, among others, and assembled one of the finest collections, long before third-party coin grading services such as PCGS and CAC changed the market.

"The Duckor pedigree for Saint-Gaudens is one we value; many of the coins in his former set are currently in the finest collections owned by clients of GreatCollections, including the all-time #1 set – the Elite Collection," continued Russell.

GreatCollections manages wantlists and assists collectors with all aspects of numismatics, aside from their own weekly auctions of certified coins and paper money. In a recent GreatCollections auction, the finest 1943-S Lincoln Cent struck in error on a Steel planchet realized $490,500 and semi-unique 1975 No S Proof Roosevelt Dime realized $506,250 – both all-time records.

For more information, contact GreatCollections at 1-800-442-6467 or visit www.greatcollections.com.

About GreatCollections

GreatCollections, the official auction house of the American Numismatic Association, specializes in auctioning certified coins and banknotes, handling transactions from start to finish. Since its founding in 2010, GreatCollections has successfully auctioned over 1.6 million certified coins, making it one of the leading certified coin companies in the United States with annual sales in 2024 exceeding $200 million. Ian Russell, owner/president of GreatCollections, is a member of the prestigious Professional Numismatists Guild, member of the National Auctioneers Association and was named the ANA Harry J. Forman Dealer of the Year. For more information about GreatCollections, visit www.greatcollections.com or call 800-442-6467.