US $20 gold coin the 1933 Double Eagle has a special history. President Franklin D. Roosevelt prevented this Great Depression coin from being circulated.
Roosevelt's gold-standard abandonment. Few of these coins survived the melting process.
The 1907 Double Eagle series was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who also designed the 1933 Double Eagle. This coin series is admired for its magnificent design of Lady Liberty walking with a torch and olive branch and a bald eagle flying.
Although such coins were illegal in the U.S., Egyptian King Farouk officially obtained one of the 1933 Double Eagles in 1944. The coin was lost for decades until the 1990s. After being seized by U.S. officials during a sting operation, the coin was sold at auction for $7.59 million in 2002 after a legal fight.
The only privately owned 1933 Double Eagle sold at Sotheby's for $18.87 million in June 2021. In this sale, the highest coin price ever was set. The auction outcome exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $10-15 million due to strong bidding from multiple collectors and investors.
Besides its high price, the 1933 Double Eagle symbolizes the intricate link between gold and cash. Its theft, court fights, and royal ownership history add to its aura. The coin has garnered attention from both numismatists and popular culture.