Gold has always been the most popular of the precious metals and in terms of coin collecting this is no exception. Any golden object is both valuable and collectable but if you add to it the appeal that coins have in general then you have got yourself an incredibly precious coin that may well be very rare. With so many different rare coins in existence you would be mistaken for believing that every collector would have a fabled coin of their own but you ask any collector or dealer and it is almost guaranteed that they will tell you the coin they really want are the rare double eagle gold coin from such and such a year.
The Double Eagle Gold Coins
There are a number of double eagle coins that were either produced in error or taken out of circulation before the public received them. Often when these coins were produced they weren't put into public circulation but instead were melted down and turned into the coins of their intended use. Occasionally though some weren't destroyed and have found themselves in the hands of the public on a number of occasions. The draw of these particular gold coins is quite obvious. As well as being golden they are also incredibly rare and considered a very valuable find.
The fabled 1933 double eagle gold coins
Probably some of the most famous double eagle gold coins are the 1933 double eagle coins. Hundreds of thousands of these coins were originally created but the president at the time, Franklin Roosevelt, ordered that all but two of them be destroyed. Subsequently a number of them were stolen leaving more than just the two that were supposed to remain. 20 of the coins have now been recovered by the United States government and one was even auctioned off in 2002 raising $7 million.
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Gold Coins - Where to Find Them
Gold and platinum coins are attractive to look at and can be bought at surprisingly economical prices.
If you've struggled to find affordable gold coins before, check out the selection of gold and platinum coins.
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10 double eagles found
Recently 10 of these historic double eagles were found by members of the public but were taken by the government without recompense. A number of people have complained about this move, not least the people who found them. There are no plans to auction these 10 coins off or return them to the finders, however, they may become a public exhibition for everyone to be able to view them.
A history of eagle gold coins
Eagle gold coins were first produced in 1795 with a $10 value and in 1850 similar gold coins were produced that had a $20 valuation on them, hence the term double eagle. The first ever double eagle gold coin was termed the Liberty double gold eagle. It featured a picture of Lady Liberty wearing a coronet with the word Liberty on it. One of the largest gold coins ever created it astonishingly weighs nearly one ounce and is made of pure gold. It is not one of the rarer double gold eagles, though, a fact that lends itself towards the popularity with avid collectors.
The Liberty double eagle
The Liberty double eagle was minted between 1850 and 1907 and is an incredible 34 millimeters in diameter. During this time three different versions of the coin were created; the type 1 had no motto on the reverse, type 2 featured the motto and type three depicted the value as twenty dollars instead of the twenty D used previously. All are considered valuable and relatively rare remaining popular with collectors around the world for many years. The popularity of the double eagle gold coin does not look set to wane in any way and as they will undoubtedly become more and more rare collectors will try harder and harder to find them, their value increasing with this popularity and lack of availability.
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