Numismatic Navigator

Current Prices on MS66 Saints Don't Make Sense

Written by Brian Zweig | Mar 5, 2024 1:00:00 PM

Compared to historic premiums over the melt value, today's premiums on MS66 Saint-Gaudens simply don't make sense...

But there's a way that you can take advantage of this mismatch in the market.

As many of our clients are aware, the $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is one of our very favorite pre-1933 U.S. gold coins. These big, beautiful, and immensely popular pieces are one of the best ways to own numismatic gold. Few other coins can boast such an intriguing back story, gorgeous design, and attractive price point.

Over the years, we’ve offered some outstanding deals on $20 Saints – including some great opportunities for scarce, mint-marked and low-premium issues. However, it’s much less often that we have MS66 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles available.

Why? These “super-grade” Saints are extremely difficult to find. We see small groups here and there, but hardly ever do we see a significant quantity in one place. Secondly, MS66 coins currently represent an outstanding value. If your portfolio doesn’t contain MS66 $20 Saints, now is the time to add them.

Perhaps you’ve never encountered an MS66 $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle – and there’s an excellent reason why. When $20 Saints were produced by the U.S. Mint, they were often dumped into giant hoppers once they came off the dies. They immediately started to acquire marks and abrasions from making contact with other coins. From there, Double Eagles were usually shipped off in canvas bags. The coins would continue to jostle around and take on even more nicks. Even before a $20 Saint entered circulation, there’s a good chance it deteriorated to MS62-MS63.

One of our trading partners, for example, has uncovered some original hoards of $20 Saints in Europe. Even though these coins never entered circulation and went untouched for decades, the coins tended to grade no better than MS63.

So how rare, exactly, are MS66 $20 Saints? We believe less than 1% of all $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles in existence have survived in MS66.

To give some context, there are probably 4,000,000+ $20 Saints in existence across all grades. This includes “raw” worn/circulated, uncertified coins. As for graded specimens, NGC has certified approximately 970,000 pieces. Of those, fewer than 20,000 coins have qualified for the MS66 grade. It’s a miniscule percentage, but given how these coins were handled over the decades, these figures make sense.

What doesn’t make sense, however, is how MS66 Saints are currently priced. These coins are severely undervalued today, but here's three reasons why we believe that these coins have the potential to drastically increase in value over the next few years:

  1. Limited Supply for a Huge Audience
    The Saint-Gaudens series is quite possibly the most popular of all U.S. gold types. We estimate that more collectors and investors own $20 Saints compared to any other vintage gold coin. The series also has tremendous crossover appeal with American Gold Eagle buyers. When the bullion market heats up, investors often “discover” the $20 Saint-Gaudens coin due to its common design, the Gold Eagle. With fewer than 1% of all $20 Saints grading MS66, we see a severe mismatch between supply and total current/potential demand.
     
  2. Priced Well Below All-Time Peaks
    Today, a $20 Saint has a melt value of over $2,000. Logic would indicate that an MS66 should sell for at least triple or quadruple that. In past bull markets, that’s exactly how MS66 Saints were priced. In 2007, for instance, spot gold was in the $800's and MS66 Saints were $3,000. When spot crossed $1,000 an ounce in 2009, MS66 Saints surged to a peak of $4,160. Now spot is hovering around $2,000-$2,100, yet incredibly we can still sell you MS66 Saints in the low $3,000's!
     
  3. Massive Spread to MS67
    MS66 Saints are rare – but MS67 specimens are basically non-existent. This is definitely reflected in their pricing. Every With Motto $20 Saint in MS67 carries an NGC Price Guide value of at least $13,000, and most are way higher. With most MS67 pieces selling for 3x to 10x the price of an MS66, they are completely unaffordable to the average collector. This giant spread between the grades makes MS66 coins an outstanding value with significant room to advance in price.

Today's Offer
Each of these MS66 Saints has been hand-picked by us for quality. Commensurate with the grade, they exhibit virtually immaculate surfaces, intense luster and outstanding eye appeal. Why are MS66 Saints especially compelling now? In 2016, they were selling in the mid to high $3,000's. Considering the spot price of gold relative to 2016, MS66 Saints are clearly “on sale” and trading at an absurdly discounted premium!

For a Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle to qualify as an MS66, it must truly dazzle. There’s a reason why so few make the cut!

Claim your MS66 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle for as low as $3,249*. 

ASI has been an active trader in Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles for decades and a major supplier of graded coins for many years. This is a special opportunity to acquire some of the finest $20 Saints in existence. 

Please call us today at 800-831-0007 or email us to purchase your MS66 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles.

*Prices subject to change based on market fluctuation and product availability. Prices reflected are for cash, check, or bank wire. Orders of 1-9 coins available for $3,399 each. Orders of 10-19 coins available for $3,349 each. Orders of 20-49 coins available for $3,299 each. Orders of 50 coins or more available for $3,249 each. Shipping, handling, and insurance are included with any purchase. Offer expires Friday, March 8, 2024, or while supplies last.