Lot 1273
1907. High relief, Roman numerals, wire rim. PCGS graded MS-64. CAC. PQ. A near gem coin with extremely smooth surfaces and nice even toning. Almost flawless except for a minor mark in the right obverse field. This is long been considered the most beautiful coin ever struck at our Mint, and for good reason, the majesty of this scultped coin is simply unsurpassed. The story of how President Roosevelt struggled to have Augustus Saint Gaudens submit designs for our higher gold denominations has often been told, and racing against the clock where Saint Gaudens only had months to live. At long last his concept was struck in gold on the largest medal press at the mint, the only press that could possibly deliver the three dimensional artstistic design from an otherwise flat gold planchet. With minor modifications these High Relief coins were created, only slightly altering the original design so the coins could stack on a bankers table. However, production was slow, it took between five and seven strikes to bring up the full majesty of the designs, causing massive delays in production and crimping the Mint's style where speed is always of the essence. Hence after only 11,250 pieces were struck, new master hubs were created of a much lower relief, the design a shadow of its prior three dimensional self, and high speed prodcution resumed. At least a significant number of these survive for collectors of today to remember this incredible effort. Here is one of the finer ones seen today (PCGS # 9135) Estimate Value $20,000 - UP
Ex Superior November 1976 Auction Lot 1181; Ex Dr. Carl Ermshar Jr. Collection.
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| Realized $26,400 |
