Twenty Dollar Gold Certificates were issued in various series from March 3, 1863 (during the Civil War) to 1922 and all are inscribed as being payable in gold coin to bearer on demand (although the issues prior to 1882 were used almost exclusively for inter - bank and clearing house settlements of gold balances).

The Twenty Dollar Gold Certificates of the 1922 series are thought to be America's most vivid notes and depict George Washington engraved by Alfred Sealey on the face with a bright orange - gold (representing the gold coin they were exchangeable for) reverse showing the Great Seal of the U.S. (engraved by Robert Ponickau).

87,120,000 notes were originally issued, but only 1,200 have survived of which about 260 are in Uncirculated condition.