Object Details
- mint
- U.S. Mint, San Francisco
- Longacre, James Barton
- Description (Brief)
- One (1) 20 dollar coin
- United States, 1854
- Obverse Image: Liberty wearing a coronet and facing left. 13 stars around.
- Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1854
- Reverse Image: Heraldic eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest. Scrolls on either side of eagle, ring of 13 stars above eagle's head, rays of sun above stars.
- Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TWENTY D. / E PLURIBUS UNUM / S
- Description
- The sheer size of the California gold strike altered the nature of American numismatics. It was not only that mintage figures dramatically increased; the actual range of denominations increased as well.
- Prior to 1849, there had been three gold coins: the quarter eagle, half eagle, and eagle (or $2.50, $5.00, and $10.00 coins). By 1854, three more had been added, a dollar, a three-dollar piece, and a double eagle, or twenty-dollar coin.
- Artist James Barton Longacre designed all three of the new coins. The double eagle was the most popular. For its obverse, Longacre employed a simple head of Liberty, wearing a coronet. Stars surrounded the head of the goddess, and the date appeared below. The reverse depicted a somewhat ornate representation of an eagle, a "glory" of stars and rays above, the national motto to either side.
- In 1854, the United States created a new branch mint in San Francisco to deal with the fruits of the gold rush. It was intended to replace a whole galaxy of private California mints that had created a variety of local coins.
- This double eagle was the first coin the new federal mint struck. Below the eagle, each coin from the new branch Mint bore a distinctive small "S." This distinguished the coin from ones struck in Philadelphia, which had no such mark, and ones struck at New Orleans, which had an "O."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Mint
- 1854
- ID Number
- 1985.0441.0488
- accession number
- 1985.0441
- catalog number
- 1985.0441.0488
- Object Name
- gold coin
- Proof Coin
- Physical Description
- gold (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: .3 cm x 3.53 cm; 1/8 in x 1 3/8 in
- place made
- United States: California, San Francisco
- Related Publication
- Zoomable Image and Details
- Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms
- Related Web Publication
- http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
- Coins
- Numismatics
- United States Double Eagle
- Coins, Currency and Medals
- Legendary Coins
- National Museum of American History
- Record ID
- nmah_741884
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ae-8998-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
