Lot 2313
1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. PCGS graded MS-63. The ideal specimen in bright yellow gold, with satiny surfaces on both sides. Ideal in that it combines high quality, resplendence beyond measure, and fair value, all in a single MS63 protective plastic cannister. Richly endowed with eye appeal, this piece stands proud within the class category as one of the nicer quality examples we have seen on the market in recent times.
The story of the Saint-Gaudens double eagle is well known. In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt sought to enrich the creative design of American coinage, this after having seen some high relief ancient Greek coins on display at the Smithsonian Institution a stone's throw from the White House. He tapped Augustus Saint-Gaudens, America's famous sculptor, to revamp the entire coinage from the cent to the double eagle. Working in his studio in Cornish, New Hampshire, the ailing Saint-Gaudens prepared sketches for different denominations, concentrating on the gold coins. In correspondence with Roosevelt he said that by all accounts his favorite motif was the Flying Eagle used on cents of the 1857 era, this serving as an inspiration for the reverse of the presently offered double eagle. His use of Roman numerals for the date was also innovative in an American coin design, the only time these appear on a coin meant for circulation. (In 1986, the Eagle bullion coin series was introduced and it had the date in Roman numerals for the first few years.) (PCGS # 9135) .
Estimated Value $20,000 - 22,000.
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| Realized $21,275 |
