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THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE GOLD COIN TO VISIT DUBLIN

IMMA, ROYAL HOSPITAL KILMAINHAM, TO HOST TOUR

The world’s most expensive gold coin ever to come to auction will go on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin on Tuesday, 6^th and Wednesday, 7^th March 2012.

The 1933 Double Eagle is a legend in coin collection circles. It is possibly the most valuable half‑ounce of gold in the world, inspiring the passions of kings, presidents, collectors and thieves. In 2002, a 1933 Double Eagle sold for 7.59 million dollars, making it the most expensive gold coin in the world to come to auction. The coin that will be on display in Dublin is one of just two 1933 Double Eagles saved by the US Mint and given to the Smithsonian Institution in 1933 as a matter of record.

This will be the first time that a 1933 Double Eagle has been exhibited in Europe. The exhibition is part of a landmark European tour that takes in seven countries, including Ireland. The tour has been arranged by the Samlerhuset Group, parent company of the Dublin Mint Office, in conjunction with the National Museum of American History, part of the US Smithsonian Institution. This is also the first time that the Smithsonian Institution has sent an object from its collection on tour in Europe, as opposed to lending items to institutions for display.

Nearly half a million of these twenty-dollar gold coins were originally minted in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression, but only 13 are known today. The rest were melted down before they ever left the United States Mint, sacrificed as part of a strategy to remove the United States from the gold standard and stabilise the American economy.

Only one coin is legally held in private hands – all other known or unknown 1933 Double Eagles remain the property of the US government. The US secret service pursues any of the coins that come to light and is assiduous in taking them back into federal ownership.

Tim Banks, Director, Dublin Mint Office said: “This is an incredibly exciting event. As well as being immensely valuable, the 1933 Double Eagle is a truly beautiful coin. We are thrilled to bring it to Dublin and I’m sure many people will want to come and see this piece of history.”

Marc Pachter, Interim Director of the National Museum of American History said: “The 1933 Double Eagle is a symbol of a shared struggle in an interdependent global economy, both in the early 20^th Century and today. We are delighted to make one of the greatest treasures of the Smithsonian available to European audiences as part of this unprecedented tour.”

The 1933 Double Eagle will be displayed alongside a collection of other notable US coins. These include the 1907 high relief 20 dollar gold coin; the Capped Bust to left 5 dollar gold coin (1807-1812) and the Liberty gold 20 dollar coin (1849-1866), just to mention a few.

The exhibition will be open to the general public at the Baroque Chapel, The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Military Road, Kilmainham, between 12.00pm and 8.00pm on Tuesday 6th March, and 10.00am and 4.00pm on Wednesday 7th March.

ADMISSION IS FREE.

Ends

Issued on behalf of the Dublin Mint Office by Heneghan PR

Media Contacts:

Rachel Watchorn / Eve Noone

Heneghan PR

Background – The Rise and Fall of the Double Eagle

The United States Mint first produced the twenty-dollar gold coin in 1850. Called a Double Eagle, this child of the California Gold Rush was an economic mainstay for more than 80 years. The coin lost its sparkle – and its utility – as the Great Depression decimated the American economy during the 1930s. President Franklin Roosevelt’s plan for financial recovery included one act that forever shaped American numismatic history – removing the country from the gold standard. In 1933, nearly half a million brand new twenty-dollar gold coins were melted down. The few that remained are legendary.

By 1907, after more than fifty years of the same designs, America’s gold coinage had grown stale. Eminent American sculptor Augustus Saint- Gaudens was tapped for inspiration. His bold vision for a new twenty-dollar gold coin featured two miniature sculptures that appeared to float on a gold disc.

The rendition of a strong, confident Liberty revitalised America’s coinage and won Saint‑Gaudens immortality for producing the most artistic designs on American coinage. His high-relief concept proved to be technically difficult to produce for mass circulation, so the design was literally flattened. Thus amended, Saint-Gaudens’ Double Eagle remained in production until early 1933.

The National Numismatic Collection (NNC) at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. is one of the finest monetary cabinets in the world. It contains more than 1.6 million coins, tokens, notes, and medals, dating from antiquity to the present, including an outstanding body of Russian coinage and currency. At the heart of the NNC is the United States collection, which includes superb examples of early proof coins, pioneer and territorial gold coins and the most extensive cabinet of US patterns in the world.

The objects preserve the history of money in the United States and around the globe, and are available for research by scholars upon request. The National Museum of American History is part of the Smithsonian Institution, one of the largest cultural institutions on Earth.

About Samlerhuset / The Dublin Mint Office

Launched in Ireland in 2011, the Dublin Mint Office Ltd is part of the Samlerhuset Group, one of Europe´s largest coin companies. Samlerhuset was established in Norway in 1994 and it quickly emerged as the leading distributor of collector coins in Europe, with a turnover of approximately €160 million in 2010.

The Samlerhuset Group, which operates in 15 European countries, was the first privately owned organisation to be allowed ownership of a national mint – owning half of the Mint of Norway – and it enjoys excellent relationships with the major mints around the world.

The Dublin Mint Office provides a wide range of coins from ancient to modern, originating from virtually every country in the world. Through Samlerhuset Group, the Dublin Mint Office has good relations with many widely respected international organizations, such as the IOC, FIFA, the Nobel Foundation and UNESCO, allowing it to provide exclusive distribution rights for many new and exciting coin releases.

The Smithsonian and the National Numismatic Collection
British scientist James Smithson left his fortune to the United States to found the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. To learn more about the museum, visit