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thehappypixi

Help with value double eagles

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Hi all, hope you can enlighten me!

We saw an article in the telegraph about the rare 1933 double eagle coins fetching some ridiculous amount of money - no I don't have one LOL!

But we do have two, one from 1921 and one dated 1914. They are in lovely condition, they were part of the payment for my great grandmothers hotel when she sold it, guess my gran kept a couple! They are of sentimental value, but it would be nice to know what they are worth!

post-7241-016737600 1329150990_thumb.jpg

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I have taken these prices from the 2011 Red Book!

1914 St Gauden's $20 gold $1,550 in EF

1921 St Gauden's $20 gold $37,500 in EF

If the one coin is a real 1921...you have hit the jackpot!

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I have taken these prices from the 2011 Red Book!

1914 St Gauden's $20 gold $1,550 in EF

1921 St Gauden's $20 gold $37,500 in EF

If the one coin is a real 1921...you have hit the jackpot!

These look like valuable US coins.I wouldn't always advise this but get them slabbed (third party grading) by PCGS or NGC.Under no circumstance touch with bare hands apart from the edges.DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN.

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Thank you for the replies! Bit shocked that the 1921 one could be so valuable!! I'm affraid we have touched them :/ They have been living in tissue paper for the last god knows how may years. What does touching them do?! Surely they got touched when the original purchase was made!

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I have taken these prices from the 2011 Red Book!

1914 St Gauden's $20 gold $1,550 in EF

1921 St Gauden's $20 gold $37,500 in EF

If the one coin is a real 1921...you have hit the jackpot!

These look like valuable US coins.I wouldn't always advise this but get them slabbed (third party grading) by PCGS or NGC.Under no circumstance touch with bare hands apart from the edges.DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN.

Thank you - sorry but could you translate into layman's terms?! I googled how you get them authenticated, and I thought they may need to be sent to the states?!

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They both look wrong to me I'm afraid. The details are too dull ie not sharp enough. The colour also looks off. Very hard to tell from pictures but they look like fakes. When did your great-grandmother acquire them? Do you have access to accurate digital scales?

Edited by argentumandcoins

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They both look wrong to me I'm afraid. The details are too dull ie not sharp enough. The colour also looks off. Very hard to tell from pictures but they look like fakes. When did your great-grandmother acquire them? Do you have access to accurate digital scales?

The hotel would have been bought in the 1930s I think, I very much doubt they are fake, they bought the hotel with gold and were firm believers in the value of having gold. We have kitchen digital scales?! They are in the safe so can't do it now! how much should they weigh?

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They both look wrong to me I'm afraid. The details are too dull ie not sharp enough. The colour also looks off. Very hard to tell from pictures but they look like fakes. When did your great-grandmother acquire them? Do you have access to accurate digital scales?

The hotel would have been bought in the 1930s I think, I very much doubt they are fake, they bought the hotel with gold and were firm believers in the value of having gold. We have kitchen digital scales?! They are in the safe so can't do it now! how much should they weigh?

They should weigh in at exactly 33.436gms.

Everybody has known the value of gold since man first discovered it, that's why there is so much of it about that is wrong. Forgers have been making copies of gold coins for a lot longer than the 1930's.

The price of some of these coins is so high because the US mint melted a lot of the 1920's mintage during the 30's, the period you think your relative was paid with them?

The detail does not look sharp enough to me as I have said. I hope I am wrong but usually when something looks too good to be true, it is.

On the plus side even if they are fakes there is a very high probability that they will be gold fakes so will still have a good intrinsic value.

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Thanks! I will weigh them when I can, I wouldn't want my Grandmother to know if they were fakes, I think it would really upset her. I have been reading a bit about why the 1921 was rare, and noted that it said there was a possibility some were sent overseas. My Grandmother is French and that's where the hotel was, so I can but hope! My proper camera is bust unfortunately, so can't get a better pic :/

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I have taken these prices from the 2011 Red Book!

1914 St Gauden's $20 gold $1,550 in EF

1921 St Gauden's $20 gold $37,500 in EF

If the one coin is a real 1921...you have hit the jackpot!

These look like valuable US coins.I wouldn't always advise this but get them slabbed (third party grading) by PCGS or NGC.Under no circumstance touch with bare hands apart from the edges.DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN.

I agree, get those things slabbed before you sell them. Even if TPGing is expensive, $50-100 is a drop in the bucket compared to the benefits you'd get from authentication, grading and slabbing those coins. Make sure you get them slabbed by either PCGS or NGC, avoid cheaper TPGers because they don't have the same reputation. Of course this goes without saying but get the 1921 insured!

The 1914 is fairly common and really only worth melt (which right now is $1663.03, which is higher than the Red Book pricing)

But the 1921 is a rare date and is worth quite a bit. I'm bad at grading, and even worse at grading gold so I'm not going to say what I think its worth, but once you get the 1921 slabbed (and might as well get the 1914 while you're at it) you will be able to have a better understanding of what its worth and you can start looking at full insurance and if you want to sell, look for auction houses.

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The problem is I'm in England, and all I've found is the UK mint and they only do UK coins :? I can't see us posting them anywhere!

You can get your coins slabbed by PCGS in the UK now by these people: https://www.thelondoncoincompany.com/

Also see: http://www.pcgsglobal.com/index.aspx

I would go with PCGS over NGC

Only touch the coins be the edges before they get slabbed, and preferably wear cotton gloves!

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She has a $10 coin too, are they sought after too?!

Does it have an Indian Head on it? They can be, but again depends on the year

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I will borrow my mums camera and get better pics on friday, plus try to weigh them :) Thanks for all the input - I'm going to be obsessed with this until I know! LOL!

Don't know whats on the $10, will photo that to :D

Will try not to touch them :/ What happens if you touch them?!!

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I will borrow my mums camera and get better pics on friday, plus try to weigh them :) Thanks for all the input - I'm going to be obsessed with this until I know! LOL!

Don't know whats on the $10, will photo that to :D

Will try not to touch them :/ What happens if you touch them?!!

Apart from gold being very soft and easily damaged/marked the oils in your fingers will leave fingerprints on the coin which will detract and potentially lessen the value.Just put away and leave well alone.Get them safely wrapped and send insured to a third party grader.Contact them first and they will give advice on how to package/send/insure.A badly treated coin in this instance could potentially loose £'000's.I would send all the gold US coins you have.

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OK! as I said they have been living in tissue paper, barely touched for years - except yesterday when I wanted to see them :doh: !!

I will try and weigh them before sending them anywhere - Mr argentumandcoins put the seed of doubt there as to whether they are real, wouldn't want to send a coin dealer fake coins, think they'd be a bit pissed off! Have emailed the place in London to see if they can help, would prefer to take them in myself than post them, they do have sentimental value too which is not covered by any insurance.

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I will borrow my mums camera and get better pics on friday, plus try to weigh them :) Thanks for all the input - I'm going to be obsessed with this until I know! LOL!

Don't know whats on the $10, will photo that to :D

Will try not to touch them :/ What happens if you touch them?!!

I wouldn't worry too much about holding them by the edges, if your hands are clean, but don't touch the front or back of the coins!

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OK! as I said they have been living in tissue paper, barely touched for years - except yesterday when I wanted to see them :doh: !!

I will try and weigh them before sending them anywhere - Mr argentumandcoins put the seed of doubt there as to whether they are real, wouldn't want to send a coin dealer fake coins, think they'd be a bit pissed off! Have emailed the place in London to see if they can help, would prefer to take them in myself than post them, they do have sentimental value too which is not covered by any insurance.

Any dealer would be more than happy to take a look for you and wouldn't be up or down if they were fakes (we see all sorts of stuff over the years).

As regards seeds of doubt my philosophy is "expect the worst and hope for the best" that way you won't be gutted if they are copies.

The only major worry re the payment would be that payment was made in foreign gold. At that time the gold $20 would have been worth $20 so it would have taken a huge amount to buy the hotel and why would payment be made in foreign currency, how would they hae worked the conversion etc?

As I say I hope I am wrong, but the facts don't really stack up with them being right.

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Hmmm I see... I will have to quiz my Gran and see if she knows any more. Will try not to get my hopes up, it's not like she'd sell them anyway, but I might request she leave them to me and not my brother!!!

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Maybe next time you come and see Newcastle play in the toon you could come and look at them for us!

If they are fakes PCGS/NGC will tell you.If they are real they will be given a unique nr.Encased in a detailed transparent plastic case(very difficult to break out)and will become extremely sought after in the US.Do not even consider selling until this is done.If you want to keep them they will be well protected.It may take a few days to authenticate(3 experts study them and agree on a grade).

I'm sure the TPG (THIRD PARTY GRADER) will tell you exactly what to do.

I'm married but can always accomodate another wife ;)

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OK I have pickled my poor Grans brain trying to get her to remember details!!

They sold the hotel in 1948, there was an 'up front' price, and the gold was 'under the table'. Gold was bought by the seller which was sold in the bank and appeared at the back of the stock newsapapers, coins were individually bought and sold. The double eagles were in a bag with other coins, british sovereigns, swiss gold francs, louis and Napoleon gold somethings. She says she remembers her and her mother taking the lot to be banked, and those two coins were not banked for some reason - could it be they were fake? We shall find out!!! Is looking likely though, big poopy pants!!!

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