1909 St. Gaudens Double Eagle - 9/8

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

This is the 1909/8 overdate variety of the 1909 St. Gaudens Double Eagle. By this date the date was part of the hub, so the overdate came from hubbing: the working die took impressions from hubs carrying two different years. The earlier date survives underneath wherever its strokes fall outside the later digits, which is why an overdate is read from the shapes that do not belong to the date as printed. The effect is in the die, so every coin struck from it carries the same remnant in the same position. Any mintage given below counts the entire issue for this date and mint, not this variety: a variety comes from one die or a few, and how many coins they struck was never separately recorded. The 1909 St. Gaudens Double Eagle - 9/8 was struck at the Philadelphia Mint as a Gold Double Eagle in the St. Gaudens Double Eagles 1907-1933 series. The 1909 St. Gaudens Double Eagle issue as a whole had a mintage of 161,215; how many coins carry this variety is unknown. The obverse features Liberty striding forward holding a torch and olive branch, with rays of sunlight behind her, and the reverse displays a flying eagle with the rising sun behind it. Produced during the Progressive Era, when President Theodore Roosevelt championed a renaissance in American coin design. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 33.44 grams, 34 mm in diameter, with a lettered edge. Cataloged as PCGS #9151.