Pre-33 Gold
Buy Pre-1933 Gold Coins
Gold coins were common in the U.S. currency system before 1933. Started, by the California Gold Rush, these coins enjoyed mass circulation until the Great Depression, when the federal government mandated the exchange of physical gold for paper currency as a way to boost the economy.
While gold coin production stopped dead on June 5, 1933, the gold coins such as the U.S. Eagle produced before then can still be found today. These coins vary in rarity and continue to gain value as a living piece of American history.
What is Pre-1933 Gold?
President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102 and the Gold Confiscation Act of 1933 mandated citizens turn over their gold coins in exchange for paper money. This act of changing the nation’s currency from gold coins to fiat paper money helped to boost the economy in the face of the Great Depression and increased the value of gold coins minted before 1933.
Today, pre-1933 gold coins are difficult to find. Collectors search far and wide for them, paying upwards of $400 or more to own such a unique piece of America’s currency history.
What Are Pre-1933 Gold Coins Worth?
Depending on their gold content and the current gold price, pre-1933 gold coins are worth anywhere from $400 to $1,000 or more.
For example, the 1900-1901 Liberty Head coins of $2.50 denomination can reach $500 or more from collectors. The $5 Liberty Head is valued at around $480 per coin. However, the $10 Gold Indian Head coins have some of the highest pricing at $1,200 and above.
Gold coins minted before 1834 contain the most gold content of all gold coins produced. U.S. Federal law required these coins to limit their non-gold metal content, which typically consisted of silver and copper. Between 1795 and 1833, all minted U.S. gold coins contained an average of 91.67% gold. The remainder was roughly half silver and half copper, with silver comprising no more than half the alloy weight.
Different Gold Content in Pre-1933 Gold Coins
The gold content of a minted U.S. gold coin dropped below 90% in 1834 to 89.92%, with the rest still made up of a silver and copper alloy. Just 3 years later, the gold content was evened out to 90%. This continued until 1933 when gold was no longer part of U.S. currency.
$2.5 Indian Head Quarter Eagle
Unlike many of the coins in circulation today, the $2.5 Indian Head Quarter Eagle features incused or indented markings. This particular coin is one of only two coins with this inverse design minted in U.S. history. Bela Lyon Pratt designed the faces of this quarter eagle, which feature an Indian head on one side and a standing eagle on the other.
$10 Gold Indian Head
It’s hard to believe that a single coin could represent a $10 bill, but the $10 Gold Indian Head did just that. This gold piece was minted off and on until 1933 when President Roosevelt ceased production. Keen observers will notice that the face in the coin is Lady Liberty’s and it is upon her head that an Indian headdress sits.
$20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle Pre-1933
Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed the $20 Double Eagle, along with the $10 Gold Indian Head. Both were minted between 1907 and 1916. The $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle remains one of the rarer gold coins from pre-1933, with a triumphant Lady Liberty on one face and a majestic eagle in flight on the other.