The SilverTowne Vault Blog

100 Greatest U.S Coins Series: 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

Published 03/19/2026

Illegal, confiscated, secret agents, sting operation, King of Egypt, U.S. government, Smithsonian, rarity, a story that began in the 1930s and has yet to see an ending. As we wade through the 100 Greatest United States Coin series written by Jeff Garrett, this fourth edition by Whitman Publishing has us looking at a top five coin that encompasses all the previously mentioned details laid out before you. Let's get into it.

#4 – 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

Executive Order 6102 was issued in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt informed all United States citizens to surrender their gold. Banks were also instructed to no longer pay out gold coins and gold certificates. From the middle of March to the middle of May in 1933, the U.S. Mint struck 445,000 double eagles. Of those, two were sent to the Smithsonian in 1934, and the rest were believed to be melted down in 1937. However, it would quickly be found that that was not the case.

Today, there are officially 13 coins known to exist of the 1933 double eagle. They were said to...read more