Lot 4038
1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. PCGS graded MS-64. Frosty example. This is a blemish-free case in point of the '63' in this grade: sleek gold in color, with mint bloom that grabs hold of the full effect of the careful preservation since it was made. Needless to say, a weak impression is rarely seen on these coins since they were carefully made on the mint's high-pressure hydraulic medal press; all were left by the rebound of the showing outstanding detail and a clear, bold strike.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who designed this romantic piece, modeled his bald eagle upon the flying eagle on Longacre's cents of 1856-58. These in turn were modeled on "Peter" the stuffed eagle then, and still today, housed in a display case at the Philadelphia Mint. Bald eagles are believed to live 30 years in the wild, and even longer in captivity. They mate for life and build huge nests in the tops of large trees near rivers, lakes, marshes, or other wetland areas. Although bald eagles may range over great distances, they usually return to nest within 100 miles of where they were raised. Not so for this majestic soaring High Relief double eagle. It may "nest" anywhere it pleases within the confines of the 48 contiguous states, or travel aloft to Hawaii or Alaska, and there is even the possibility it will land in an overseas collection, as many do (PCGS # 9135) .
Estimated Value $27,000 - 28,000.
|
| |
| Realized $31,050 |
