This coin is the renowned Thaine B. Price Specimen. The following comments are from noted numismatist David W. Akers and are taken from the auction catalog listing the Thaine B. Price Collection. At that time (May 1998) the coin sold at auction uncertified for $82,500. Today we are pleased to offer this fabulous rarity for substantially less.

According to Akers: This is a magnificent example of one of the rarest and most famous of all Twentieth Century U.S. gold coins. It was formerly in the collection of George Seymour Godard, who for many years was the State Librarian of Connecticut and thus the defacto curator of the legendary Joseph C. Mitchelson Collection, which still resides there. This coin has an above average strike for a 1920-S, especially on the obverse, where all of the letters of LIBERTY on the headdress are very sharp except for a very slight weakness at Y. (On many examples of this issue, RTY are weak or even missing; they are sharp here.) As is almost always the case with the 1920-S Eagle, the 1 and 9 of the date are a little weak, as is the eagle's trailing leg feathers, talon, and arrows below.

This is an entirely original coin with outstanding luster and beautiful rich greenish-gold and orange color. The surfaces of the coin are very clean with only a few minor marks and lines, nothing really of significance. In fact, when Norman Stack catalogued this piece as Lot 404 of Auction 82, he noted that, 'From all outward appearances the coin really is pristine.'

More than likely, this coin was obtained by Geroge S. Godard directly from the San Francisco Mint in the year of issue. Note: As State Librarian, Godard was directed by state legislation enacted in January 1913, a little more than a year after Joseph C. Mitchelson's death, to 'Continue the Joseph C. Mitchelson Collection of coins, tokens and medals by adding each year a proof specimen, or if not so coined, an uncirculated specimen of each variety of coin minted in the several mints of the United States.'

Godard fulfilled this directive faithfully during his long tenure as librarian, and he also acquired a number of similar specimens for his own collection while he was doing so, among them this 1920-S Eagle and a pair of Gem 1921 Double Eagles, all of which were first sold by Stack's in 1982.

Although the mintage of this issue was comparable to many other issues in the Indian Head Eagle series, the 1920-S has long been correctly recognized as one of the great rarities of this series. In fact, in mint state (all grades considered), the 1920-S Eagle is actually the rarest issue of the entire series, more rare than the famous 1907 Rolled Edge and even the legendary final year of the series, the 1933. (Counting circulated specimens as well, however, there are more 1920-S Eagles around than there are 1907 Rolled Edge and 1933 Eagles, but these two issues exist almost exclusively in mint state, mostly in Choice Uncirculated or finer condition, whereas many 1920-S Eagles are circulated.)

Despite its high level of rarity in mint state, there are a few exceptional examples known of this issue, and this wonderful piece is one of them, definitely in the Condition Census as one of the six finest known specimens. Following is a list of the finest examples with which I am familiar.

ONE Dr. Stephen Duckor; Stack's 6/79: 571. Graded MS 67 by PCGS. TWO Harry W. Bass, Jr; Winner Delp: 856. A superb Gem, comparable in overall quality and appearance to the Duckor specimen. THREE Private eastern collector specializing in Saint-Gaudens gold coinage; Dr. William Crawford; Bartle: 1373. Gem Uncirculated. FOUR 'Southern Gentleman': 464; Robert Kruthoffer, Jr.; David W. Akers; Harry Einstein: 509. Graded MS 65 by NGC. FIVE Dr. Thaine B. Price, this specimen. SIX Ed Trompeter: 205; Louis Eliasberg; John H. Clapp. Gem Uncirculated at the time of the Eliasberg sale, but later cleaned by Ed Trompeter; nevertheless, still a beautiful example that was graded MS 65 by Superior in the 1992 sale of a portion of the Trompeter collection.

In addition to the these half a dozen Gem quality specimens, there are perhaps a like number of coins in the Choice and Very Choice Uncirculated grades, the finest of which, a coin that would be called Gem by some even today, is the Robert Kruthoffer, Jr. specimen sold as Lot 61 in the Paramount's September 1981 sale of that famous collection. Norweb 2325 is another particularly excellent example of this rare and important issue.

Please note: In the Chicago 96 Auction, David Akers listed the Thaine B. Price specimen of the 1920-S $10 Indian as the third finest specimen known to him at that time, behind the Duckor coin and the Bass coin.