1851-O Double Eagle (1851-O $20) NGC XF45. The coin featured is a Type 1 or no motto struck at the New Orleans mint from 1850-1861. Graded XF45 by NGC, this 1851-O $20 Double Eagle is quite spectacular. With honey colored surfaces and minimal contact marks, this coin is well deserving of the grade it was given. A true piece of American history, struck from the gold of the great California Gold Rush, this coin is truly a great American classic.

The great California Gold Rush gave birth to the largest circulating gold coin in United States history, the Double Eagle. The vast quantities of gold coming out of the mines during the gold rush help to quickly develop the American West as well as American coinage.

The first California gold was delivered to the Philadelphia Mint and the shipment of roughly 230 ounces was coined into $2.50 pieces stamped with CAL over the eagle. As immense amounts of gold began being delivered to the mints, it became clear that a larger denomination would have to be struck. North Carolina Congressman James Iver Mckay, had prepared legalization authorizing the minting of a one dollar gold coin and was persuaded to amend his bill to include the minting of a $20 Double Eagle. The striking of the new coins was authorized by Congress on March 3, 1849 .

The $20 Double Eagle was designed by Chief Engraver James B. Longacre. The obverse of the coin was modeled after an ancient Greco-Roman sculpture, the Crouching Venus. For the reverse of the coin, Longacre implemented his training as a two-dimensional engraver to create an image based on the Great Seal of the United States . The reverse depicts a spread eagle with a shield on its breast, 13 stars in an oval with rays above. The nation's name appears above, the denomination expressed as TWENTY D. below.