Forgotten “Hoard” of $20 Liberties

$20 Liberty Open 3

In 1873, the United States was still recovering from the Civil War. The “Reconstruction Era” was well underway and ultimately paved the way for the rapid growth that would be seen through the early 1920s. The “Reconstruction Era” is an especially popular period among U.S. coin collectors due to sporadic availability of coinage at the time.

One of the best examples of limited mintage during the “Reconstruction Era” is the 1873 $20 Liberty “Open 3” Variety. As one of the rarest varieties of all the $20 gold Liberty series, the “Open 3” became one of the most sought after issues of U.S. coin collectors. Within this group, a very small number of “doubled die” error coins were produced. Together, this combination has led to one of the rarest issues ever produced in the United States.

We have acquired the largest collection of 1873 $20 Liberty Open 3 “doubled die” coins ever found. These coins had been lost, sitting in a safe deposit box in a European bank for over 100 years. Only 87 of these coins are known to exist in Uncirculated condition, and we have 61 of them available exclusively to ASI readers. Eight of the coins we have available are tied for finest known of their type. This is an exclusive offer you won’t want to miss!

Historical Significance and Rarity

The significance of these coins comes from their special variety and extreme rarity. The “Open 3” variety of the $20 Liberty refers to the unique style of the “3” used in the 1873 date on the reverse. The $20 Liberty design is one of the longest running in the history of U.S. coinage, yet this “Open 3” variety was only produced once, in 1873. Add to this the popularity among collectors of the “Reconstruction Era” of U.S. coinage, and you have a variety that maintains significant demand over time.

Another meaningful detail about these coins is the “DDO” or doubled die obverse error. Although the U.S. Mint had been producing $20 gold Liberty coins since the 1840s, there were still issues with production. One of the most sought after mint errors of the day was a “doubled die.” A doubled die occurs when there is doubling of the design elements of the coin. For instance, “LIBERTY” might show doubled lettering, or the date on the coin might show doubling as well. Early mint errors like this do happen, but they are difficult to find in surviving populations and are highly sought after by collectors when they do appear.

The most common issue of the $20 Liberty was the 1904 Philadelphia $20 Liberty. There were over 6 million produced in 1904. By contrast, the 1873 $20 Liberty Open 3 only had a mintage of around 1.7 million. Of that initial mintage, less than 2% are known to have the DDO error. Remarkably, only 87 of the DDO error coins have survived in uncirculated condition. Below are the population figures of NGC graded 1873 $20 Liberty Open 3 DDO coins.

There are no coins of this type that have been graded higher than MS63 by NGC. The most recent auction record for an MS63 example was $12,338 in January 2016. If you take advantage of our “hoard” of $20 Liberties today, your coins will be tied for the finest known quality at a substantial discount compared to recent auction records. Out of the 12 coins known graded MS63, we have 8 available exclusively for you!

The Offer

We have acquired for you the largest and finest collection of these extremely rare $20 Liberties ever found. Not only are they nearly impossible to find, but we can offer them to you at a discount compared to current market prices. We have the following NGC certified coins available:

A collection of this importance has never been seen before, and it is likely that another opportunity may not come around again anytime soon. Call us at 800-831-0007 or send us an email to take advantage of this rare collection of 1873 $20 Liberties before they are gone!

*Prices are subject to change based on product availability and market fluctuation. Free shipping, handling and insurance included. Prices reflected are for cash, check, or wire transfer only. Offer expires June 5, 2017.