1849 Proof Double Eagle Pattern - J-117

Coin Details

Description

Judd-117 is the historic 1849 pattern for the twenty-dollar gold coin, or double eagle, the largest regular-issue gold denomination ever authorized by the United States. Designed by Chief Engraver James B. Longacre, the obverse features a compact head of Liberty facing left, her hair tied in a bun and wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, with thirteen stars surrounding and the date 1849 below. The reverse depicts a heraldic eagle with outstretched wings bearing a shield on its breast, clutching an olive branch and arrows in its talons, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination TWENTY D. around the border. Congress authorized the double eagle on March 3, 1849, as the flood of California Gold Rush bullion demanded a high-denomination coin for large transactions. Longacre faced considerable obstruction from Mint Director Robert M. Patterson and Chief Coiner Franklin Peale, who forced him to produce three separate obverse designs before patterns could be struck. Only one specimen is definitively traced today, residing in the Smithsonian Institution's National Numismatic Collection, making it arguably the most famous coin in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Unique (R.8). Only 1 specimen is definitively traced, housed at the Smithsonian Institution. Estimated value $10-20 million.

Cross References

Pollock-132