Pre '33 US Gold Coins

Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coin

Perhaps the most recognizable pre ‘33 US gold coin on the market, the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coin has been a staple of numismatic coin collections for nearly a century. In its rarest form, this coin can be worth millions of dollars. Most Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coins are worth their spot price in gold, along with some sort of additional premium. On the obverse, you’ll note Lady Liberty. She walks forward away from a rising sun with the rays encircling her. In her hands, she holds two classic American symbols – the olive branch and the torch. Flip the coin over, and you’ll see a flying American bald eagle; he flies above the sun and its rays. 

Liberty Double Eagle Gold Coin PCGS MS61

The Liberty Double Eagle Gold Coin also pays homage to both Lady Liberty and the national bird of the United States. But both of these depictions make a unique appearance on this particular coin. Here, Lady Liberty on the obverse is a bust. The female personification of American liberty and freedom wears her hair in curls and is decorated with a headband that says “LIBERTY.” She looks up hopefully at the thirteen stars that surround her, a likely reference to the thirteen original American colonies. Flip this classic gold coin over, and you’ll note the heraldic eagle of the United States rendered in exceptional detail. 

Buy Pre ’33 US Gold Coins

Gold coins minted before 1933 hold a special prestige among bullion collectors. These highly numismatically valuable coins contain real gold bullion and often offer especially important historical significance. There’s a few different reasons why so many of our customers are interested in old coins from American history. When you combine the beauty of these storied coins with their essential place in American coinage history, it’s clear that pre ‘33 US gold coins are a premier investment vehicle.

Hero Bullion sells a variety of quality pre ‘33 coins to expand and enrich your collection. Scroll up to the top of the page, and you’ll find our current inventory. We’ll also provide you with a guide to some of the most famous pre ‘33 coins in the world. 

Pre ‘33 US Gold Coins and History

The first American gold dollar was initially minted at a private mint in North Carolina in 1831. After witnessing the popularity of these gold coins, Levi Woodbury, Secretary of the Treasury, pushed for the United States Mint to begin producing gold dollar coins for general circulation. It would be several years of back-and-forth between mint advocates and Congress before America’s first gold dollar coin was designed for production. 

Unfortunately, pre ‘33 gold dollar coins were never particularly popular as circulation currency in the country, so their production eventually ceased. Nowadays, circulated gold coins from before 1933 can be difficult to find. In addition to offering an exceptionally high percentage of pure gold bullion, these coins are also valued because of their limited mintage and historical importance. 

Gold Content of Pre ’33 US Gold Coins

The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle coin carries an impressive .90 purity. This amounts to .96750 troy ounces of fine gold. For investors interested in buying high purity gold coins from early American history, pre ‘33 US gold coins like the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle are an unprecedented collectable opportunity. 

Investing in Pre ’33 US Gold Coins

But the gold content isn’t the only reason why so many collectors love to put their money into pre ‘33 USgold coins. Both their fine gold composition and their historical value contribute to collector interest in these storied gold coins. Whether you put your cash into Saint-Gaudens or Liberty gold coins, you’re buying into hundreds of years of American history and coinage. 

We’ll take a closer look at the two main advantages of investing in pre ‘33 USgold coins below: high gold content and numismatic/historical value. Together, these elements help to make old gold coins a dominating force in the global bullion market. 

High Gold Content 

As we mentioned above, old U.S. coins come with exceptionally high precious metal content. Whether your pre ‘33 coins are made of gold or silver, you can expect a fineness of around .90. Modern coins don’t contain any actual precious metal content – at least, circulation coins don’t. Bullion versions of our best-selling pre ‘33 US gold coins often contain a purity of .9999 fine gold, but the coins from early American history are circulated with .90 fineness. 

If your goal is to get as much pure gold as you can for your cash, then pre ‘33 US gold coins might not be the best option. Gold bars generally offer a much lower premium cost over spot, which allows you to secure more bullion without breaking the bank. Still, the numismatic and historical value of a quality pre ‘33 gold coin is without parallel and might improve investor confidence in these unique collectable items. 

Numismatic and Historical Value

Few investors buy old gold coins just for the bullion they contain. After all, modern bullion coins feature purity levels up to .99999, making them the better option if your goal is just to secure gold. So why do so many collectors love pre ‘33 US gold coins? To start, the coins provide a value proposition beyond just pure gold. Because of the unique historical era that these coins initially occupied, pre ‘33 US gold coins are an excellent way to invest in numismatic gold. 

When the spot price of gold goes down, .9999 bullion coins are likely to depreciate in value. This is also the case with pre ‘33 US gold coins, as these products are still pegged in base value to the spot price of gold bullion. But the historical context and, potentially, scarcity of gold coins from early American history means that they may retain value – even when the rest of the gold market struggles to a standstill. 

Popular Pre ‘33 US Gold Coins

Hero Bullion sells two main pre ‘33 US gold coins: the Saint Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coin and the Liberty Gold Double Eagle Coin. Both pieces were minted starting in the late 1800s and continued during the early 20th century. This means that these storied coins lived through the tumultuous period following the civil war, as well as both WW1 and WW2. 

Below, we’ll take a closer look at two of the most popular pre ‘33 US gold coins. Their designs invoke some of the most important symbols in American history, which helps to justify their value to modern collectors with a taste for U.S. culture. 

Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coin

The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Coin is likely the most recognizable gold currency coin on the planet. We’re not surprised. On the obverse, the piece features Lady Liberty, walking forward as she holds both a torch and olive branch. Stars decorate the circumference of the coin, and the brilliant rays of a rising sun encircle Liberty and her flowing gown. 

On the reverse, your Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coin highlights another design from mint artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens. This time, it’s a classic American bald eagle, which flies through the air over a rising sun. Again, the sun’s rays surround the focal point of this side of the gold coin. 

Liberty Gold Double Eagle Coin

Although it was minted a decent amount of time before the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, the Liberty Gold Double Eagle Coin also offers extensive value to collectors of rare and historically important American gold coins. Like its predecessor, this coin is struck with .90 pure gold, a far cry from the utter lack of precious metal content that characterizes modern circulation coins from the U.S. Mint. 

Lady Liberty also appears on these pre ‘33 US gold coins. Here, she’s surrounded by thirteen stars, a reference to the thirteen original colonies that helped to found the United States of America. Marking another distinction from the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is her portrait. Instead of the ‘Walking Liberty’ of the previous coin on our list, the Liberty Double Eagle Gold Coin shows the facial portrait of a female personification of Lady Liberty. She wears her “LIBERTY” headband. 

The bald eagle featured on this coin is also distinct from the Saint-Gaudens flying eagle. Here, we see the heraldic eagle of the United States. It wears the shield of the U.S.A. 

Buy Pre ‘33 US Gold Coins with Hero Bullion!

Pre ‘33 US gold coins are a unique investment option. Collectors who love the history and culture of the United States go crazy for these old coins, which carry hundreds of years of history on their backs. Combine the intricate, culturally significant designs on these coins with their high .90 fineness and you have an unprecedented way to invest in both numismatic and pure gold value. 

We’re confident that you’ll love the look and feel of ‘33 gold coins. As always, we go to great lengths to ensure that your coins arrive in the best possible condition. We clearly state the grade of our old gold bullion coins on their product pages, so you can rest assured that you’ll receive what you order. 

Do you still have questions about buying ‘33 gold coins? Our customer service team is always happy to help you along on your investment journey. Feel free to contact us at any time.