US Mint to Unite All 11 1933 $20 Double Eagles in Pittsburgh

For the first time, the United States Mint will display all 11 of its 1933 $20 Double Eagles together on Aug. 28 at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh.

The historic exhibit will unite 10 coins at the center of a decades-long ownership battle with an 11th example later surrendered by a private collector. The original group appeared together at the 2006 World’s Fair of Money in Denver, but the additional coin has never been displayed alongside them.

“Mint history is American history,” said U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis. “As America celebrates its Semiquincentennial, we reflect on our Nation’s storied past. These 11 coins were minted during a time of hardship and strife, yet nearly a century later, they endure as treasured emblems of growth, resilience, and opportunity.”

The ANA convention runs Aug. 25–29 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Coins That Never Reached Circulation

The Philadelphia Mint produced 445,500 Double Eagles dated 1933, but the $20 gold pieces were never released into circulation.

Their fate was tied to the federal government’s response to the Great Depression. Restrictions on gold payments introduced under President Franklin D. Roosevelt were followed by additional government actions, and the 1933 production was ultimately melted.

Two examples were preserved for the Smithsonian Institution. Other pieces left the Mint without authorization and entered the numismatic market.

A Secret Service investigation beginning in 1944 recovered nine of those coins over the next decade. All nine were destroyed. Authorities linked their distribution to Philadelphia jeweler and coin dealer Israel Switt.

Another example resurfaced in 1996 and became the subject of a separate legal settlement. The Mint formally monetized that coin before its 2002 auction, making it the only 1933 Double Eagle that may be privately owned.

It sold for $7.59 million in 2002 and returned to auction in 2021, when it brought $18.87 million. That coin is not part of the Pittsburgh exhibit.

Government Wins Ownership Case

Ten more 1933 Double Eagles emerged in 2004 after they were found by Switt’s family and submitted to the government for authentication.

The Mint retained them, maintaining that they had never been legally removed from government custody. Litigation continued for years before a jury ruled for the government in 2011. A federal judge later affirmed that the coins remained U.S. property, and an appeals court upheld the decision.

The Mint’s 11th example came from a private citizen who had purchased it through the marketplace and later surrendered it after the trial. According to the Mint, the owner did not know when acquiring the coin that private possession was unlawful.

That piece also traces back to Switt and will complete the first public display of all 11 government-held examples.