The 1905-S Gold Eagle (Buy on eBay) had a total mintage of 369,250 coins, on par or higher than the other issues of the series for this time frame. As such, most collectors will place it in the ‘easily available’ category. However, the issue represents the most difficult of any 20th century eagle to find in high grade and is virtually unknown in gem condition.
At the time of issue, it seems that few examples were saved or sent to Europe where they would be preserved for future generations. Instead, the coins circulated extensively, and even those spared from circulation were heavily marked during transportation in Mint bags.
While usually traded as common, this issue should not be overlooked as it represents a challenging rarity of the Liberty Head Gold Eagle series in higher mint state grades. PCGS has graded two examples in MS64 and a lone example in MS65. NGC has not graded any coins higher than MS63.
One of the 1905-S Liberty Gold Eagles graded PCGS MS64 sold for $18,400 at auction held in August 2010.
Coin Specifications
- Designer: Christian Gobrecht
- Composition: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
- Weight: 16.718 grams
- Diameter: 27 mm
- Edge: Reeded
