Lot 4483
1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, wire rim. NGC graded Proof 65. A nice bold strike. "High Reliefs were struck in 3 blows of the dies on a medal press in the Philadelphia Mint," according to Stack's, in reference to a unique plain edge 1907 High Relief $20 gold piece the firm auctioned a few years ago. "The first two strikings were made utilizing a plain collar, presumably to prevent the raised edge lettering from being disfigured from successive strikings. It was only during the third striking that the plain collar was replaced by the lettered collar to produce a ''complete'' High Relief Double Eagle with Lettered Edge. Due to the work-hardening of metal that results from the pressures of the striking process, the as yet ''incomplete'' coin was removed from the press after the first and second strikings to be annealed, or softened by heating."
It must be evident from this account of the minting procedure how painstaking it was to strike a single High Relief $20 gold piece. Now include the special effort it took to prepare the Proofs and one sees the end result in this marvel of early 20th technical perfection. The fully brilliant example we now hand over bidders beats (from an aesthetic angle) practically all of the Proofs that have passed through the grading services. Unlike the usual Mint State survivor with its minor imperfections left by mishandling, this handsome coin is very sharp from top to bottom, center to periphery, the very essence of superior preservation in a Proof $20 gold coin. Pop 12; 22 finer, 9 in 66, 1 in 66 star, 6 in 67, 4 in 67 star, 1 in 68 star, 1 in 69 (PCGS # 9135) .
Estimated Value $60,000 - 65,000.
Ohringer Family Trust Holdings.
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