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Auction: 317 - The Collector's Series
Lot: 734

MCMVII (1907) $20 Saint Gaudens.High Relief, Wire Edge. PCGS MS64. There is a warm, velvet-like glow beneath an ever so subtle blush of wholly original orange-golden toning. The fields are generally quite smooth, and the limited number of small marks and imperfections that this lovely coin does possess are nearly all confined to inconspicuous locations along the rim. Considered to be one of the most beautiful coins ever to be struck by the U.S. Mint, This magnificent High Relief design has long been a favorite amongst collectors. Moreover, the scarcity and importance of this low mintage (only 12,367 pieces were struck) one year type coin forever solidifies its level of demand.

Though certainly not the rarest American coin within its price range, the Saint Gaudens Roman Numeral High Relief Double Eagle is clearly one of the most popular. Having been struck largely as a result of President Teddy Roosevelt's desire to beautify the American coinage of his day, this issue was a harbinger of things to come regarding our coinage designs. In fact, the so-called Renaissance of American Coinage initiated by gorgeous designs such as this may not have realized the success that it did had there not been a circulation strike High Relief Double Eagle. Alas, the difficulty in producing such a design, as well as its inherent impracticality in day to day commerce (they just would not stack properly for bank tellers and other money handlers) doomed both this issue as well as the beautiful and even rarer 1907 Wire Edge $10.00 Indian Head gold pieces.

Sold for
$22,500