Rare Date Saint−Gaudens Double Eagles Stand Out in ANA Auction

The Alymaya consignment was a group of sixteen particularly important Saint-Gaudens double eagles. These were auctioned on August 26 at the Heritage headquarters near the Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) airport. Among parts of the post-ANA auctions that are of interest to many collectors, are related to market excitement since 2021, and are spiritually connected to the recent surge in gold bullion, the Alymaya Collection of better date Saint-Gaudens double eagles is especially well suited for discussion, as they generally brought strong to very strong prices.

The ANA auctions were actually conducted after the ANA Convention was over, so I call them post-ANA auctions. It is true, though, that both Heritage and Stack’s Bowers brought auction lots to the ANA convention in Oklahoma City in August for public viewing. Auction catalogues and prices realized are available on the Heritage and Stack’s Bowers websites. It would not be productive to list a large number of prices realized here. It is best to discuss a small number of newsworthy results in an educational manner.

Current prices for all U.S. gold coins should be interpreted with consideration of the boom in rare and conditionally rare U.S. gold coins that manifested itself starting in January 2021 and peaked in 2022 or early 2023. During 2024, prices for most of these trended downward, though remained higher than pre-2021 levels. Market levels for many rare U.S. gold coins moved upward to a mild extent during parts of 2025 so far.

There is very little correlation between price changes in generic Saints and price changes in rare date Saints or condition rarities. All Saint-Gaudens double eagles are called ‘Saints’ here. Generic Saints, like the 1924 and the 1928, are common. Better date Saints are scarce. A few dates are very rare, including the 1921.

In December 2011, I publicly doubted that there are as many as one hundred and twenty-five 1921 Saints in existence. As I noted then, a significant portion of the 1921 Saints listed in PCGS and NGC population reports refer to repeat submissions of some of the same coins.

In December 2011, only four 1921 double eagles had been PCGS certified as grading MS65 or higher. This continues to be true, with two that are PCGS graded MS66, including the Duckor-Alymaya coin, one that is graded MS65+ and one that is graded MS65.

The PCGS graded MS66, Crawford-Morse 1921 was auctioned for $1,092,500 on November 3, 2005, and has been in the same collection ever since. In my opinion, it is the finest known 1921 Saint.

The Alymaya Collection 1921 Saint was a highlight of this auction on August 26, 2025. This same Saint was formerly in the epic collection formed by Dr. Steven Duckor. It was PCGS graded MS65 for many years and then upgraded by PCGS to MS66 in 2010 or 2011. It does not have a CAC sticker of approval. In my view, the Duckor-Alymaya 1921 grades MS65+ and the Eliasberg-Morse-Simpson 1921 grades MS65.

In August 2012, Heritage auctioned a CAC approved, MS65 grade 1921 Saint that I call the Goldberg coin. As past owners of this coin did not wish for their names to be mentioned, it is difficult to publicly give this 1921 Saint a name. The Goldbergs handled it more than once and had it at their tables at coin shows. In my view, the Goldberg 1921 merits a 66 grade although it was PCGS graded MS65, and has a CAC sticker. David Akers, one of the all-time experts in U.S. gold coins, suggested that it merits a MS66 grade.

While markets for rare gold coins were raging, Greysheet bid in July 2022 for a non-CAC, MS66 grade 1921 Saint was $775,000. This Greysheet bid was raised to $825,000 on December 18, 2022, and then to $950,000 more recently.

After the Duckor-Alymaya 1921 realized $1,500,000 on August 26, the corresponding Greysheet bid was raised to that same amount. In my estimation, the $1.5 million result was certainly above the middle of the retail value range for this coin.

As a Greysheet bid is an estimate of a high-wholesale price, it does not make sense to refer to an unexpectedly high, record auction result as a wholesale price, unless there is a good reason to believe that it is a wholesale price. Did a dealer buy the Duckor-Alymaya 1921 with the idea of selling it for substantially more than $1.5 million? In my view, this $1.5 million result was one of the strongest prices for any rare gold coin during 2024 or 2025, really astounding.

Though not as rare as the 1921, the 1927-S Saint is very rare. There could plausibly exist more than two hundred 1927-S Saints, though certainly not many more. PCGS has graded just one as MS67, the Duckor-Alymaya coin, and this same coin is the only MS67 grade 1927-S in the CAC population report.

During the calendar year 2022, Greysheet bid for a CAC approved MS67 grade 1927-S, which must be for this specific coin as it is the only one, went from $265,000 to $375,000. On September 23, this Greysheet bid was raised from $375,000 to $475,000, which is consistent with my conclusion that the $690,000 result on August 26 was very strong and very important.

The 1931-D could possibly be rarer than the 1921, though the 1931-D is not nearly as much of a condition rarity in grades above MS63. Most surviving 1931-D Saints went directly to vaults, collectors or dealers. A substantial number of 1921 Saints actually did circulate.

The CAC approved, PCGS graded MS66 1931-D from the Alymaya Collection was earlier part of the Stokely Collection and was auctioned by Heritage on July 31, 2008, for $253,000. The rally in classic U.S. coins of all metals that started in 2003 or 2004 peaked in the middle of 2008, possibly on that very day, July 31. On August 26, this coin brought $504,000, almost exactly twice as much as it did on July 31, 2008. Unquestionably, this was a strong price.

The 1924-D is a condition rarity, not an absolute rarity. More than five hundred survive, though certainly less than one thousand.

The PCGS graded MS66, Duckor-Alymaya 1924-D brought $264,000 in August. This same coin brought $138,000 on January 5, 2012. In my view, this coin is just slightly inferior to the Brahin-Simpson 1924-D, which realized $312,000 at auction on August 22, 2022.

The Brahin-Simpson 1924-D was PCGS graded MS65, with a CAC sticker, before 2010. PCGS later upgraded it to MS66, though it no longer qualified for CAC approval.

The $264,000 result for the Duckor-Alymaya 1924-D was a strong price. CAC has stickered one MS65 1924-D, and has stickered the Rollo Fox Collection 1924-D, which was PCGS graded MS65+. CAC has not stickered or graded a 1924-D as MS66 or higher.

The Rollo Fox 1924-D was excellent, more than very attractive and technically sound. My review of the auction of Rollo Fox’s Saints is available for free at greysheet.com.

For $93,000, the Fox 1924-D was a good value at auction on January 9, 2020. From my perspective, the $264,000 Duckor-Alymaya, the $312,000 Brahin-Simpson, and the $93,000 Fox 1924-D Saints are all in the same league.

Like the 1924-D, the 1925-S is known as a condition rarity, not as an absolute rarity. David Akers thought of it as a very important condition rarity and Dr. Duckor often echoed this sentiment.

The Alymaya Collection 1925-S was NGC graded as MS66 and realized $240,000, a strong price. Although it is true that the Morse-Brahin-Fox 1925-S realized $384,000 at auction in May 2023, the Morse-Brahin-Fox 1925-S is superior to the Alymaya 1925-S.

The 1912 Saint is a condition rarity in MS66 and higher grades. The CAC approved, PCGS graded MS66 1912 Saint in the Alymaya Collection realized $114,000, not one of the stronger prices for Saints in August. The same coin had been auctioned by Heritage for $74,750 on July 31, 2008.

Like the 1912, the 1922 is an extreme CAC rarity in MS66 grade. Also, there are no NGC, PCGS or CACG graded MS67 1912 or 1922 Saints.

The CAC approved, PCGS graded MS66 1922 is another Alymaya Collection Saint that was earlier in Dr. Duckor’s set. It realized $40,250 in January 2012 and $63,000 in August 2025. The CAC pop in the MS66 grade range is only two, with none higher.

I tentatively figure that, over the past fifteen years, better date Saints that are both physically rare overall and especially rare in very high grades have increased in value more so, on average, than Saints that are condition rarities, yet not very rare overall. From 2003 to 2015, there were more collectors competitively seeking the highest-certified Saints that they could find; buyers over the last fifteen years have been relatively more concerned about the absolute rarity of the Saints that they are pursuing.

©2025 Greg Reynolds, Insightful10@gmail.com

Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com.