The $20.00 Gold Piece designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens is considered to be the most beautiful U.S. coin of all time, and is in constant demand by collectors and investors alike. A full-length figure of Liberty holds a branch in her left hand and a lighted torch in her right. On the reverse, an eagle soars past the sun. Around the edge is the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, with the words separated by stars in place of the usual reeding lines. The first pieces that were struck in early 1907 had such high relief that each coin required at least five blows from the coinage press to bring up the design. At that rate the mint could not produce enough coins for circulation. In August 1907 mint designers altered the dies by lowering the relief so that existing equipment could efficiently strike the coins. At the same time, the date was changed from Roman to Arabic numerals and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added. The $20.00 Gold Piece, known as the Double Eagle, is the largest denomination of all regular U.S. Mint issues. It was authorized by the Act of March 3, 1849. This magnificent coin, only the second design ever used on the U.S. Double Eagle, was minted in Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco from 1907 to 1933. This replica coin is minted of brass then layered with pure 24k gold and housed in a gold book style portfolio.
