The Investment Case

The certified pre-1933 gold coin thesis rests on a documented pattern: when financial or monetary conditions shift, per ounce acquisition costs on certified $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles expand. The record from the 2008–09 financial crisis shows how far—certified MS63 Saint-Gaudens reached 99% above the gold spot price at the peak, and MS65 examples reached 219%. The MS62 Saint-Gaudens is the lowest-cost point of entry into that certified market: the same coin, the same finite certified population, at a per ounce acquisition cost closest to the ungraded coin.

The MS62 certification from PCGS or NGC does something specific that raw, ungraded coins cannot replicate: it places a coin inside the institutional market—the auction platforms, dealer networks, and collector exchanges—where a genuinely finite certified population and a broad base of institutional buyers compete for the same coins. That competition, which operates almost invisibly during calm periods, becomes visible when demand conditions shift—the pattern the certified Saint-Gaudens series has demonstrated in every major flight-to-safety episode of the past two decades.

The MS62 Grade

On the Sheldon grading scale, MS62 is a fully uncirculated coin: mint state, never released into commerce, with somewhat more of the small handling marks from the minting and storage process than an MS63 example carries. What certification adds at this grade is not primarily appearance—a well-preserved raw coin can look similar—but assurance and standing: independent authentication, a documented grade, and tamper-evident encapsulation that the institutional market recognizes and prices. For investors who want the authentication and liquidity of the certified market without the premium steps of MS63 and above, MS62 is where the certified Saint-Gaudens series begins.

The Coin

The $20 Saint-Gaudens Gold Double Eagle was minted from 1907 to 1933, designed by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens at the personal commission of President Theodore Roosevelt. It is widely regarded as the most beautiful coin the United States ever produced. The obverse presents Lady Liberty striding forward, torch and olive branch in hand, the U.S. Capitol visible behind her. The reverse shows a majestic eagle in flight above a radiating sun. At 34.1mm in diameter and 33.431 grams, each coin contains 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold—interchangeable with any recognized full-ounce gold holding. Detailed design history, including the ultra-high-relief 1907 issues and the full production narrative, is available at our reference page: Investing in $20 St. Gaudens Gold Coins

The Entry Point into Certified Saints

Within the certified Saint-Gaudens range, each grade serves a different priority. The MS65 is the connoisseur’s coin—museum-quality survivors in genuinely thin supply. The MS63 and MS64 carry the documented premium-performance record that anchors the certified thesis. The MS62 serves the investor whose priority is gold content first: a full ounce of pre-1933 American gold, certified and attributed, at the lowest per ounce acquisition cost in the certified series—typically only modestly above the raw AU/UNC coin. For investors building a meaningful position, the diversity of available dates and mint marks—Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver issues spanning 1907–1933—provides opportunities to assemble varied holdings without paying significant additional premiums over common dates.

The Case for Gold Ownership

The certified pre-1933 gold market adds a dimension to gold ownership that standard bullion does not provide: institutional demand. When financial or monetary conditions shift, two categories of buyer move simultaneously—those seeking gold for its metal content, and those seeking certified historical gold coins for their scarcity. The MS62 Saint-Gaudens offers the lowest-cost seat at that intersection. The possession of coins like the $20 Saint-Gaudens MS62 in a portfolio can insulate against both the panics that arrive suddenly and the purchasing-power erosion that accumulates over decades—just as it has done for millennia.

Certification: Every coin we ship at this grade is independently graded and encapsulated by PCGS or NGC, the market’s two leading certification services; a PCGS example is pictured. The coin you receive will match the MS62 grade shown, fully authenticated and attributed by the grading service.

Learn More:

• $20 Saint-Gaudens Gold Coins: Complete Buyer’s Guide 2025
• Investing in $20 St. Gaudens Gold Coins: Compelling Strategies to Maximize Future Profit Potential
• Historic Low Premiums Make Pre-1933 Gold Coins a Smart Investment
• Pre-1933 US Gold Coins Investment Guide: $10 & $20 Liberty Complete Analysis