Lot 4047
1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. PCGS graded AU-55. Lustrous with only slight friction on the highest points, barely discernible to the unaided eye. A few marks in the fields. In the summer of 1907, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who had been in failing health for some time, took a turn for the worse, and in August he died. Ironically, he never lived to see examples of his own high relief double eagle design. After President Roosevelt had been appeased by the striking of 11,250 high relief coins, he gave the mint permission to revise its design to a much flatter version called the No Motto, to differentiate it from these Roman numerals piece.
Today, the MCMVII issues of 1907 are esteemed by collectors young and old and are among the most popular gold pieces in all world numismatics. When the Treasury Department proposed issuing new gold bullion coins in 1986, no finer design could be planned than to resurrect Augustus Saint-Gaudens' 80-year-old masterpiece. The mint even incorporated the Roman numerals in the first few years, just as on this 1907 coin (PCGS # 9135) .
Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000.
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