Best Buy: Big Beautiful Saints

 

Over the past few years, we’ve been fortunate to offer some intriguing groups of $20 Saint-Gaudens double eagles. As many of our readers know, the $20 ‘Saint’ is considered of the most popular, beautiful and desirable United States gold coins.

 

Every time we’ve acquired some better-date Saints for sale, our clients have purchased our available inventory quickly.

 

After nearly a year of searching, we’ve put together another interesting group of these big, beautiful gold coins. This offering consists of ‘spread’ coins - items with big jumps in price to the next grade.

 

These three dates (1908-D No Motto, 1910 and 1910-S) are affordable in MS64, but more than triple in MS65. With coins in the next grade worth $8,500-$9,500, these three dates in MS64 represent outstanding value at under $2,500 per coin.

 

Call 800-831-0007 or email me today to add these big, beautiful Saints to your portfolio. With only 35 coins, they will not last long.

Throughout the history of coin collecting, condition has been a critical aspect of the hobby. As with any antiquity or collectible, grade has always been a significant determinant of value and desirability.

 

The measurement of condition has become more advanced and sophisticated, as has collector and investor interest. Whereas vague adjectives were once used, numismatists eventually adopted exact terms that translated to specific levels of preservation. A term like ‘Very Fine’ once meant anything from well-worn to virtually perfect, depending on the collector or dealer. Towards the mid-20th century, numismatists began to adopt more precise guidelines for verbal terms. A phrase like ‘Very Fine,’ for example, began to have a generally accepted meaning throughout the hobby.

 

The concept of grading became even more scientific in the 1970s and 1980s. American collectors began using the Sheldon grading scale, first pioneered by William H. Sheldon for the grading of vintage copper coins. Sheldon used a 1-70 numerical scale and correlated common adjective grades to specific numerical grades.

 

For instance, ‘Very Fine’ translated to a numerical grade between 20 and 39. Sheldon also reserved numbers 60-70 for Uncirculated or Proof coins that did not display any wear. This numerical scale brought uniformity to the hobby and standardized how grades were communicated.

Coin grading took a major leap forward with the advent of third-party certification. Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) (formed in 1986) and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) (formed in 1987) brought an increased level of consistency and trustworthiness to coin grading. They quickly earned the trust of collectors and dealers alike - and they enabled coins to be traded sight-unseen.

 

PCGS and NGC also performed another crucial function: they maintained exact records of how many coins they had certified at each grade level. This information, known as population data, revealed how scarce certain coins truly were in high grades.

 

After more than a quarter century of population data, certain coins have emerged as true condition rarities. That is, these are coins that become extremely scarce in higher grades.

 

One area that emerged was early-date $20 Saint-Gaudens double eagles. Many of the date/mintmark combinations from 1908 through 1913 had surprisingly low survival rates in MS64 and MS65. Whereas later dates in the 1920s were often saved in bank bags or original rolls, these earlier dates entered circulation and were rarely stashed away. Even if a coin survived in Uncirculated condition, it probably became nicked, gouged or otherwise damaged. 

Seasoned collectors and dealers knew these dates were rare in Choice and Gem Uncirculated, but the published population reports brought this data to all market participants.

 

Understandably, the population data had a tremendous impact on coin values. Condition rarities took off in value as their true scarcity became apparent to all. Massive value spreads developed between grades - sometimes to an alarming degree.

 

Many early-date $20 Saints, for example, are now worth 3x or 4x more in MS65 than they are in MS64. These dates trade in the mid $2,000s in MS64, yet can fetch anywhere between $8,500 and $9,500 in MS65!

 

Our take on this situation is the MS64 coins represent the best value. These dates are still affordable in MS64, but become prohibitively scarce (and expensive) in MS65. Coins like this, priced at an affordable level with a big spread to the next grade, have significant ‘room to run’ in value. We call these Best Value Grades. Glen O. Kirsch, my mentor and ASI co-founder, would always tell me to buy the highest grade right before the big jump in price for the next grade.

We performed price analysis on all MS64 $20 Saints and found three dates to offer the most upside potential: 1908-D No Motto, 1910 and 1910-S. These issues stood out for two main reasons:

 

1. They are 91x to 114x rarer than the most common MS64 $20 Saint. Yet, these issues trade for less than double the price of a ‘generic’ date. This alone, we feel, makes the coins an outstanding value.

 

 

2. In MS65, their values more than triple. According to the NGC price guide, these coins carry values of $2,600-$2,775 in MS64 but jump to $8,500-$9,500 in MS65. This massive value spread means collectors. Will gravitate to the MS64 coins.

 

Date	MS64 Value	MS65 Value
1908-D No Motto	2,600	8,500
1910	2,650	9,500
1910-S	2,775	9,000

 

We were able to locate 35 specimens of these three select dates. We specifically targeted pieces that were solid for the grade and suggestive of a Gem specimen. Coins like this offer collectors a great alternative to spending $8,500-$9,500 for an MS65 piece - for a fraction of the price they offer comparable quality.

 

 

For the 1908-D No Motto, 1910 and 1910-S $20 Saints, MS64 represents the Best Value Grade. That is, they are undervalued in MS64 but explode in price at the MS65 grade level. At less than $2,500 per coin, these three dates are affordable in MS64 and represent the best available option without spending close to $10,000 for an MS65.

 

Even if the ‘spread’ were ignored, these dates represent outstanding value compared to common dates. These are 91x to 114x rarer than the most common date, yet they trade for less than double the price. These three dates are legitimately rare dates that become both impossible to find - and extremely expensive - above this grade level. Like with all our previous $20 Saint offerings, we expect these will vanish quickly too.

 

We only have thirty-five (35) total coins MS64 Spread Saint-Gaudens (certified by either NGC or PCGS):

 

        MS64 1908-D ‘No Motto’ $20 Saint-Gaudens - call for pricing and availability

 

This is the delivered price.* There is no additional cost for shipping, handling or insurance. While supplies last, the price you see is the price you pay.

 

Call – 800-831-0007 - or e-mail me today to purchase your coins and to take advantage of this low price before the market discovers the price anomaly.