1908-D Motto

Denver opened Motto-type production on the double eagle denomination with this 1908 issue, following the mid-year addition of IN GOD WE TRUST mandated by the Act of May 18, 1908. The branch mint had already struck 663,750 No Motto coins that same calendar year before the motto modification took effect, and the 349,500 Motto strike that followed represents the first Denver output under the layout that would continue through 1931. The D mint mark appears below the date on the obverse, a placement consistent across the series. Denver's die work for the transition was straightforward: Philadelphia provided reverse master hubs carrying the added motto, and local preparation of working dies proceeded without any documented production anomalies. The coin closes out the No Motto / Motto transition at the D mint, with all subsequent Denver double eagles through the end of the series carrying the Motto reverse.

Strike quality on 1908-D Motto ranges from average to well-struck, with Denver's presses generally yielding adequate detail across Liberty's drapery and the eagle's wing feathers. Weakly struck coins typically show softness in the motto legend itself or in the Capitol rays behind Liberty's torch. The characteristic wear pattern mirrors the rest of the series: Liberty's forward knee and breast on the obverse, and the eagle's breast and leading wing feathers on the reverse. Population reports are weighted toward Mint State grades, again reflecting European bank hoard repatriation in the second half of the twentieth century. Counterfeits of 1908-D Motto are less frequent than for common Philadelphia dates but not absent, and buyers should still default to PCGS or NGC certification given the coin's high unit value. Expected grade range on the market runs heavily through MS62 to MS64, with MS65 and finer examples scarce enough to trade at distinct premiums.

The 1908-D Motto occupies a middle tier in the Denver run of Saint-Gaudens double eagles. It is not scarce enough to be a key or semi-key date, but the 349,500 mintage and the first-year-of-type status give it more collector interest than most common D-mint issues from the 1920s. Date-and-mint set builders treat it as a standard acquisition at the MS63 or MS64 level, where availability and pricing remain reasonable relative to gold content plus a moderate numismatic premium. MS65 and above is where registry-set demand shows up, and finest-known pieces at MS66 and higher trade at multiples of common-grade pricing. The recommended acquisition path is a PCGS or NGC example, with CAC approval where available; CAC is helpful for narrow registry-set competition but not strictly necessary at lower grade tiers. For the broader context of Denver's role in the series and the 1908 motto transition, see the St. Gaudens Gold $20 Double Eagles history article.