In 2022, on the NumizmatikaNET portal, we published article and video about the most expensive gold coin in the world – the 1933 US twenty-dollar gold coin, known as 1933 Double Eagle. It is about a coin that already back then had an almost cinematic story: from the Philadelphia Mint, through the ban on owning gold, theft, the search by the US Secret Service, King Farouk, court trials, and finally the legalization of only a single specimen that is allowed to be privately owned.
The article and video explain how 445,500 copies of this gold coin were minted in 1933, but they were never officially put into circulation. Due to Roosevelt's decision to abolish the gold standard and ban the private ownership of larger quantities of gold, almost the entire emission was melted down. Only two copies were preserved for a museum, while a certain number of copies illegally left the mint and ended up on the numismatic market.
US authorities later seized a large number of these gold coins, and some were even destroyed. However, one specimen managed to escape that fate. This was the specimen purchased by Egyptian King Farouk. Interestingly, an export license was even issued for it, just before the US authorities realized that these were coins that should not have left the mint.
After the overthrow of King Farouk, the coin's trail was lost. It reappeared only in 1996 in New York, when the US Secret Service conducted an operation and seized the specimen from British coin dealer Stephen Fenton. After years of legal dispute, a settlement was reached whereby the specimen was legalized and sold at auction.
It was first sold in 2002 for $7,590,020. At that time, it became the most expensive coin in the world. It appeared at auction for the second time in 2021, when it was sold at Sotheby's auction house for a record $18,872,250. With that, it once again broke the world numismatic record and confirmed its status as one of the most famous coins in history.
Next appearance: Pawn Stars
Following the 2021 auction, the new owner of the gold coin was not publicly revealed. However, the gold coin has appeared before the cameras once again, specifically on the show Pawn Stars, in an episode titled „The 30 Million Dollar Deal”.
In that episode, Rick Harrison meets with Ian Russell from GreatCollections, who brings in that exact specimen of the 1933 Double Eagle. Right at the beginning of the show, it is clear that this is not an ordinary item for buy or sell, but rather the most expensive thing to ever appear on the show. Rick describes it as the „holy grail” of numismatics and one of the most important coins in the world.
The conversation revisits the basic history of the gold coin. It mentions that the design came about thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt, who believed that American coinage should be more beautiful and of higher artistic quality. The famous American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is credited with the artistic design, and his Double Eagle is still considered by many to be one of the most beautiful American coins.
The historical irony is particularly notable: one Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, prompted the creation of this famous design, while another Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, prevented the 1933 gold coin from entering regular circulation through his Great Depression-era measures.
The show also discusses the legal status of the coin. It is emphasized that any other specimens, should they eventually appear, remain problematic for private ownership, as the U.S. government considers them to have never been legally issued. That is precisely why Farouk's specimen is special: it is the only one that, following a legal settlement and a special procedure, was legalized for private ownership and sale.
Expert review
Due to the value of the item, Rick also calls in expert Jeff Garrett. He confirms that the coin is authentic and in an exceptional state of preservation. The show also mentions a grade of MS 65, meaning it is a top-tier, nearly flawless specimen.
Garrett emphasizes that with this coin, rarity is not the only thing that matters. The story matters too. And the story of the 1933 Double Eagle contains all the elements that turn a coin into a legend: prohibition, theft, a royal collection, disappearance, an FBI sting operation, a lawsuit, legalization, and two world auction records.
That very combination of history, legal status, beauty, and market scarcity makes this gold coin incomparable to most other numismatic rarities.
$25 million offer
The show reveals that the owner is looking for offers of more than 30 million dollars. Rick then contacts a potential buyer and manages to secure an offer of 25 million dollars, which includes his commission.
Although it is an amount that is in itself almost unimaginable for a single coin, the offer was not accepted. Ian Russell explains that the market for high-end numismatic rarities has grown strongly in recent years and that more and more billionaires and multi-billionaires are appearing among collectors.
For such buyers, the 1933 Double Eagle is not just a coin, but the ultimate trophy. It is an item that cannot easily be compared to other coins, because there is only one legally available specimen on the market. If someone wants it, there is no other specimen they can buy at a lower price.
Has the gold coin been sold?
As far as is known so far, the copy of the 1933 Double Eagle, after appearing on the show Pawn Stars It was not resold at a public auction. It was also not publicly announced that any private offer was accepted.
This means that, according to available information, the gold coin is still with a private owner or under the control of their representative, and offers of more than 30 million dollars are being sought for it.
If it appears at auction again in the future, it is very possible that it will break the world record once again. The price of almost 19 million dollars from 2021 was already historic, but its appearance on the show Pawn Stars it shows that the owner clearly believes the market is ready for a significantly higher level.
The gold coin that outgrew numismatics
The 1933 Double Eagle is not important only because of the gold from which it is made. Its material value in gold is negligible compared to its numismatic, historical, and symbolic value.
This is a gold coin that carries within it the story of the end of the gold standard, economic crisis, state control of gold, secret exits from the mint, royal collections, confiscations, lawsuits, and the modern market of collectible rarities.
That is why the 1933 Double Eagle is more than just a coin today. It is a numismatic legend, a legal precedent, and one of the most recognizable symbols of high-end collecting. And the question of where it is today and when it will appear on the market again only further enhances its appeal.
For now, only one thing is known: the saga of the most expensive gold coin in the world is not over yet...
Author: Zlatko Viščević with AI assistance
