united-states-1861-item
Image: James Longacre for coin, Wehwalt for image (Public domain)
DenominationTwenty Dollars ($20)
Country / EmpireUnited States
Obverse DesignLiberty Head (Coronet Head) facing left, wearing a coronet inscribed "LIBERTY", surrounded by 13 stars, with the date "1861" below.
Reverse DesignHeraldic eagle with a shield on its breast, holding an olive branch and arrows, surrounded by "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "TWENTY D."
Historical Context
The Double Eagle was the largest denomination gold coin produced by the United States Mint. The 1861 issue falls just before the full onset of the American Civil War, a period of significant economic and political upheaval. The New Orleans mint, for example, produced coins under both U.S. and Confederate authority in 1861.
