Lot 3183
1907 $20 St. Gaudens. High relief, flat rim. NGC graded MS-66. Well struck and untoned. In a new 4 prog NGC holder. An elegantly beautiful example of this award-winning MCMVII coin, a satiny gem with healthy glowing yellow surfaces plus a nuance of shimmering iridescence. Crisply detailed and attractive, a coin that shows the designer's mastery of design in its finest light. The high-relief format was a difficult one to work with, but Saint-Gaudens met the challenge.
Best of all, the new PCGS holder allows for complete examination of the edge of the coin as well as the main features on the obverse and reverse. The Saint-Gaudens $20s are the first lettered edge coins issued by the United States (there had been some Pattern trials of a silver dollar made back in 1885 but nothing came of the experiment). On the edge in raised letters is E PLURIBUS UNUM with stars separating the words.
The High Relief Roman Numerals pieces have been treasured for decades by numismatists and art connoisseurs for their imaginative theme as well as the prestige that owing one confers. Fortunately, enough first-rate Gems were saved to afford today's well-established buyers a constant stream of coins in this grade. When a gorgeous gem such as the present example gets the call from the auctioneer, the level of excitement in the room begins to rise, since many bidders desire the finest pieces for their collections. The present example is among the most beautiful, satiny MS66 examples seen by NGC or we miss our guess. Need we say more? Pop 54; 20 finer.
Estimated Value $50,000 - 55,000.
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| Realized $60,375 |
