A 1931 Saint Gaudens double eagle is expected to exceed $55,000 at Heritage Auctions' US Signature Coins sale in Long Beach on September 4-6.
Around 3m of the coins were minted just as the full impact of the Great Depression hit, meaning that high-denomination gold coins were suddenly made surplus to requirements.
 The Saint Gaudens double eagle is considered by many to be the most beautiful US coin |
Roosevelt ordered the entire issue to be melted down, although around 200-300 are thought to have survived. Of these, only 109 have ever been PGCS or NGC graded (all save one are in mint condition).
An 1851 LE Humbert $50 reeded edge "slug" will auction with a starting bid of $42,500.
The lot was issued in San Francisco during the era of the gold rush by August Humbert of Moffat & Co, a New York watchmaker appointed California's chief assayer.
The vast majority were turned into smaller denomination issues.
Other lots in the sale include a 1930-S Indian $10 and a 1796 B-2 quarter.
Heritage's coin auctions at Long Beach run from September 3-10 and will include a sale of world coins, which features a rare Burgers Pond coarse hair as its headline lot.
Love numismatics? We have a fascinating range of coins available.
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