Lot 2620
1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. NGC graded MS-65. Well struck with lovely golden toning. It has been said the medallic double eagles of 1907 with ultra high relief required up to nine cycles of the coining press at an extremely high pressure for each coin. The obligation to use so many cycles was a deterrent to production, so new hubs and dies were readied with lesser depth. These coins with a "high" relief, of which this is a resplendent example, were done after just five cycles of the coining press, still a time-consuming method for coinage meant to circulate. Coins with wire rim have a sharp border around the perimeter. An very bright and lustrous gem that you can use as a yardstick for other Mint State 65 examples that share this towering design. The strike is forthright as it is crisp, which is only reasonable to expect given the concentrated effort it took when striking them; without question, all features on Liberty and the eagle are razor-sharp! Pop 59; 47 finer; 39 in 66; 5 in 67; 1 in 67 Star; 1 in 68; 1 in 68 Star.
Historic note: This so-called wire edge of metal is called a "fin" by mint personnel. It is caused by a tiny bit of gold that squeezed between the die and segmented collar from repeated blows of the 150-ton medal press employed to strike the high relief $20 gold coins. The milling procedure and planchet size for the double eagle blanks were slightly modified to correct this small flaw about December 16, 1907, according to numismatic researcher Roger W. Burdette.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 45,000.
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