2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin.

The 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin was one of the most highly anticipated coins in recent history. The 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle was reproduced by digitally mapping the original coin plasters with some updates. The obverse of the coin carries the current date of 2009, expressed in Roman Numerals “MMIX.” The number of stars has been updated from the original 46 to 50, representing the current number of US states. The reverse has had the inscription “In God We Trust” added between the sun and its rays. Both sides of the coin have a small border added along the edge.

2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin, Design and Images

The 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle features the design that the artist had intended for America’s $20 gold piece, made possible through 21st century technology.

The obverse design depicts Liberty moving confidently forward, holding a lit torch and olive branch. In the background the Capitol dome can be seen amidst rays from a rising sun. The image is surrounded by 50 stars representing the current number of states, as a slight change from the 46 stars on the original design. The word LIBERTY appears above with the date expressed as MMIX. The designer’s initials appear beneath the date.

The reverse design depicts an eagle as it soars majestically in flight. The sun appears below with its rays extending upwards. The inscriptions appear in two lines above UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Between the sun and its rays is the additional inscription IN GOD WE TRUST, which did not appear on the original design created by Saint-Gaudens. The edge of the coin includes the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM again, with the letters separated by stars.

The coin recreates the original vision of designer Augustus Saint Gaudens that could not be realized in his time

The coins are struck in 24 karat gold, and contain one ounce of gold. Each coin measures 27 mm in diameter and 4 mm in thickness. The coins were only minted with an uncirculated finish.

The public had its first glimpse of the 2009 Ultra High Relief Gold Coin when it was unveiled at the ANA World’s Fair of Money on July 30, 2008. The coin was included as part of a larger display that told the story of the coin from raw material to finished product.

The first strike ceremony for the coin took place at the West Point Mint on November 24, 2008. United States Mint Director had the honor of striking the first coin, which was sent to the Smithsonian Institute. The second coin was retained by the US Mint for their heritage assets. This historic event was witnessed by numismatic organizations and reporters. The Director of the United States Mint Edmund Moy had the honor of striking the first coin.

First strike ceremony

The designs for the Ultra High Relief Gold Double Eagle were revealed on June 30, 2008 at the ANA World’s Fair of Money. The recreations have slight modifications to the original coin’s design. This includes changing the date to MMIX (Roman Numerals for 2009), adding four stars to the obverse, and adding “In God We Trust” to the reverse of the coin. The border of the coin was also widened to better define the edge.

The first coin struck will be transferred to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. The second struck coin will be added to the United States Mint’s heritage assets.

The 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin on sale

The 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin went on sale at the US Mint on January 22, 2009. The initial price of the coin was $1,189 with an ordering limit of one per household. Over 40,000 coins were ordered during the first five days of sales.

Sales continued throughout the year, with adjustments made to the price due to the rising value of gold. The ordering limit was also raised and eventually removed completely. Sales of the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle officially ended on December 31, 2009.

2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin Mintage:

When the United States Mint first offered the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin, they imposed an ordering limit of only one coin per household. More than six months later they raised the ordering limit to ten coins, and later removed the limit completely. The initial ordering limits helped keep the mintage of the coin on pace for a relatively low number. The authorization to produce the coin received from the Treasury of the Secretary included statements about the mintage and availability of the coins. The mintage was specified to be unlimited for one year. The coins could only be produced during 2009, although the coins could be sold during 2010 if inventory was left over. The US Mint officially announced the end of sales on December 31, negating this possibility. The last reported sales figures available indicate that the US Mint sold 115,178 of the Ultra High Relief Gold Coins through the close of sales on December 31. This number represents the final unaudited sales figures, which are subject to later adjustment. Generally, adjustments result in a final mintage below the last reported sales figures.

Given the coin’s broad appeal, this mintage level should continue to support premium pricing for the coins on the secondary market.

2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin, PCGS & NGC Grading

a large number of the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagles were ultimately sent to third party coin grading companies. The two companies that handled the largest number of submissions for these coins were Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). Coins are examined, assigned a numerical grade, and encapsulated in a plastic holder.

PCGS had the distinction of grading and encapsulating one of the earliest 2009 UHR Double Eagles received by a collector. The coin was submitted by collector Charles Camp of Savannah, Georgia on February 13, 2009. PCGS assigned the highest grade on the scale of Mint State 70 (MS70). The coin was given the “First Strike” designation, assigned for coins received by a certain cutoff date, and placed within a TriVue holder, which allows the edges of the coin to be viewed.

NGC has graded more than 16,000 examples of the coin.

About 53% of the coins evaluated were given the top grade of NGC MS 70 or NGC MS 70 PL.

The original cutoff date for the PCGS First Strike designation was March 11, 2009, set 30 days after the original United States Mint shipping date. This sometimes-controversial designation does not refer to the order of striking, but simply to the shipping date. More than two years later, on March 14, 2011, PCGS announced that they would assign the Proof Like (PL) designation to eligible coins.

PCGS has now graded more than 14,000 examples of the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle. Around 52% of the coins evaluated were given the top grade of PCGS MS70.

NGC announced the use of a special label for 2009 UHR Double Eagles submitted for grading. The label was gold colored and included an image of the designer Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ initials. The company provided the “Early Releases” designation for coins received by the cutoff date of March 9, 2009. The proof like designation was awarded to eligible coins from the start of grading, although the proportion of PL coins is significantly lower for coins graded during the “Early Releases” period.