Lot 004Coin values
1881-S Liberty Head Double Eagle
SAN FRANCISCO (S) · 90% GOLD, 10% COPPER · 727,000 STRUCK
Worth about $4,050–$4,850 circulated and $38,000–$52,000 in MS-65.
The 1881-S Liberty Head Double Eagle is a common date from the San Francisco Mint, with 727,000 pieces struck. In circulated grades (G-4 to EF-40) our estimate is $4,050–$4,850, and a well-preserved MS-65 example is estimated at $38,000–$52,000. Circulated coins of this date trade at or just above the value of their metal, so the live melt value on this page is the best guide to a worn coin.
Type coin shown: 1877 Liberty Head double eagle, Proof specimen (the Type III design used 1877 to 1907). We do not yet hold a licensed photograph of the 1881-S Liberty Head Double Eagle itself, so this is the nearest dated coin of the same design. The design is the same; the date, mint mark and condition of your coin will differ. Photograph: 1877 Liberty Head double eagle, Proof specimen (Type III design used 1877 to 1907), National Numismatic Collection. Public domain, credit US Mint (coin), National Numismatic Collection (photograph by Jaclyn Nash), via Wikimedia Commons.
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- Mint
- San Francisco (S)
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Mintage
- 727,000
- Weight and size
- 33.436 g · 34.1 mm
- Designer
- James B. Longacre
Scarcer than 53% of the 63 issues in the Liberty $20 series with a recorded mintage. 727,000 struck. Mintage is the number struck, not the number that survive.
Weight and size
A genuine coin weighs 33.436 g and measures 34.1 mm, with a reeded edge. Gold coins are widely counterfeited; check weight and diameter first.
Mint mark
CC, S and D sit on the reverse below the eagle. Philadelphia coins have none. Carson City coins carry a premium in every grade; check that the mint mark is original.
Strike and surface
Look at the hair above Liberty's ear, the coronet and the eagle's neck and tail feathers for wear. Bag marks and cleaning cut the Mint State grade.
About the 1881-S Liberty $20
How much is a 1881-S Liberty Head Double Eagle worth?
Lustre's editorial estimate (Oct 2026) is $4,050–$4,850 for circulated examples (G-4 to EF-40) and $38,000–$52,000 in MS-65. These are estimates, not an appraisal or market data. A coin in the grade you hold may sell for less at a dealer, who needs a margin.
Is a 1881-S Liberty Head Double Eagle gold?
Yes. It is 90% gold, 10% copper and weighs 33.436 g, which is 0.9675 troy ounces of pure gold. Its melt value is that weight multiplied by the current gold spot price, shown live on this page. Collector value is usually above melt.
How many 1881-S Liberty Head Double Eagles were minted?
727,000 were struck at the San Francisco Mint.
Where is the mint mark on a Liberty Head Double Eagle?
On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
Is my 1881-S Liberty Head Double Eagle rare?
No. It is a common date. Its value depends mostly on grade, originality and, for gold coins, the melt value.
More Liberty Head Double Eagle values
Where these numbers come from
Liberty Head double eagle, Wikipedia: composition, weight, diameter, edge, designer, mint mark position, gold content (0.96750 oz); cross-check that Philadelphia struck only 4,521 double eagles for circulation in 1881 to 1887; proof-only years. Wikipedia lists a mass of 33.431 g; Lustre uses the statutory 33.436 g (516 grains), which matches 0.96750 oz of gold at 90%.
$20 Liberty Head Double Eagle: 1849-1907, Type Set Coin Collecting (typesets.wikidot.com, CC BY-SA): mintage and proof mintage by year and mint.
PCGS CoinFacts date pages (mintage cross-check only), PCGS: cross-check of a few mintage figures (1880 and 1884-CC $20, 1880 $5, 1884 proofs); no prices used.
Lustre editorial grade-value estimates, Lustre: grade value ranges (estimates, not market data).
gold-api.com spot prices (reference level for estimates), gold-api.com: reference spot prices behind the estimates.
How the estimates are made. Facts reviewed Oct 2026.