20 Dollars, United States, 1854-S
date: label: date made
content: 1854
name: label: mint
content: U.S. Mint, San Francisco
label: maker
content: Longacre, James Barton
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: One (1) 20 dollar coin
label: Description (Brief)
content: United States, 1854
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Image: Liberty wearing a coronet and facing left. 13 stars around.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1854
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Image: Heraldic eagle with wings outstretched clutching arrows and branch in talons, shield over chest. Scrolls on either side of eagle, ring of 13 stars above eagle's head, rays of sun above stars.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TWENTY D. / E PLURIBUS UNUM / S
label: Description
content: The sheer size of the California gold strike altered the nature of American numismatics. It was not only that mintage figures dramatically increased; the actual range of denominations increased as well.
label: Description
content: Prior to 1849, there had been three gold coins: the quarter eagle, half eagle, and eagle (or $2.50, $5.00, and $10.00 coins). By 1854, three more had been added, a dollar, a three-dollar piece, and a double eagle, or twenty-dollar coin.
label: Description
content: Artist James Barton Longacre designed all three of the new coins. The double eagle was the most popular. For its obverse, Longacre employed a simple head of Liberty, wearing a coronet. Stars surrounded the head of the goddess, and the date appeared below. The reverse depicted a somewhat ornate representation of an eagle, a "glory" of stars and rays above, the national motto to either side.
label: Description
content: In 1854, the United States created a new branch mint in San Francisco to deal with the fruits of the gold rush. It was intended to replace a whole galaxy of private California mints that had created a variety of local coins.
label: Description
content: This double eagle was the first coin the new federal mint struck. Below the eagle, each coin from the new branch Mint bore a distinctive small "S." This distinguished the coin from ones struck in Philadelphia, which had no such mark, and ones struck at New Orleans, which had an "O."
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, San Francisco
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
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content: Coins
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content: Numismatics
label: See more items in
content: United States Double Eagle
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content: Coins, Currency and Medals
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content: Legendary Coins
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Zoomable Image and Details
label: Related Publication
content: Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Mint
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1985.0441.0488
label: accession number
content: 1985.0441
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0441.0488
objectType: label: Object Name
content: gold coin
label: Object Name
content: Proof Coin
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: gold (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: .3 cm x 3.53 cm; 1/8 in x 1 3/8 in