1924-S $20 MS67 PCGS....

"This is a truly special coin, one that exemplifies the very definition of a one-of-a-kind "wonder coin." It is so far superior to any other known example of the issue that it is, in this respect, very similar to the incredible Dr. Steven Duckor 1920-S Indian Head eagle sold by Heritage in March 2007 for the stunning record price of $1,725,000. The strike is generally excellent with only slight weakness on the obverse at the Capitol building and Liberty's fingers holding the torch; on the reverse the strike is absolutely full with every feather on the eagle, including those on the breast, boldly defined. The all-important factors of luster and color could not be improved upon in any regard. In fact, we are confident that many collectors will consider this 1924-S to be one of the most attractive Saint-Gaudens double eagles they have ever seen of any date. The color is a rich blend of beautiful greenish gold and orange hues with a few small natural copper toning areas, the most noticeable of which is in the folds of Liberty's flowing gown to the left of the date. The entire surfaces of the coin are remarkably clean with only a few minuscule marks on either side, barely visible even with a glass. The overall quality and eye appeal of this completely original, virtually untouched coin are so exceptional that, to most, the PCGS grade of MS67 will seem conservative, if not a full point low.

"In the 1930s, and especially the 1940s, the 1924-S double eagle was widely regarded by collectors and dealers as one of the rarest of all U.S. gold coins. It was also considered to be one of the two greatest rarities of the Saint-Gaudens double eagle series along with the 1926-D, with the 1926-S placing a close third and also held in high esteem. At that time, most estimates of the number of specimens known of the 1924-S ranged from only three to at most six pieces. The 1924-S was considered substantially rarer and more important than all of the issues that are now so highly regarded in the Saint-Gaudens series including the 1920-S, 1921, 1927-S, 1930-S, and 1931-D. It was even more highly regarded than the 1907 MCMVII Ultra High Relief, the 1927-D, and the 1933, all three of which are multi-million dollar coins today. Nearly all of the great name sales of the 1940s were missing the 1924-S twenty, including such famous ones as Dunham, Bell, Flanagan, "World's Greatest," Atwater, and "Memorable" among others. In 1949, B. Max Mehl sold the Dr. Charles W. Green Collection at auction and the sale contained a 1924-S twenty, offered as lot 879, which was described by Mehl as showing "slight evidence of having been handled with other coins", i.e. a coin that probably would qualify as a "slider" or minimal Uncirculated coin today. The coin realized $1,000 at that sale, a high price for almost any coin in 1949. In his catalog description, Mehl stated that "to the best of my knowledge, only three specimens are known to exist" and also noted this was "the first specimen to be offered at public auction." (Actually, this was not true because two years earlier, Numismatic Gallery had sold the C. David Pierce specimen in the 1947 Buffalo ANA convention sale for an incredible $2,200. "Mr. Lima," one of the previous owners of the coin now offered here, paid James Kelly the identical price of $2,200 for his coin in late 1947 or early 1948. So it is quite possible, even likely, that this coin is the Pierce specimen from the 1947 ANA sale.) Mehl went on to note in his description of the Green coin that it was only the second 1924-S twenty that he had ever handled, the first one being the Berenstein specimen he had sold a few years earlier for $1,600. Then, in 1950, Numismatic Gallery again offered a specimen for sale in the so-called "Adolphe Menjou" sale. Menjou was a famous actor but most of the coins in the sale that bear his name were actually from the collection of Charles M. Williams, a prominent Cincinnati collector. His entire collection, which included many famous rarities such as the Dexter 1804 silver dollar and the Dunham 1822 half eagle, was purchased by Numismatic Gallery, i.e., Abe Kosoff and Abner Kreisberg, together with Sol Kaplan. The 1804 dollar and 1822 half eagle were sold privately, but many of the other coins from Williams' collection were sold at auction by Numismatic Gallery, including the Menjou sale in June 1950. The 1924-S double eagle was offered as lot 1948 of the Menjou sale and brought $2,000, the same price that was realized by the Gem 1926-D twenty in the sale, and one of the top half dozen or so prices realized in a sale full of important rarities. In his description of the coin, Kosoff stated his opinion that the 1924-S was "the rarest of all double eagles; there are perhaps less than 5 specimens extant."