Heritage World Coin Auctions
Long Beach Signature US Coin Sale 1252 16-17 Feb 2017
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High Relief Double Eagles
1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim, MS65+ NGC. The great Existentialist philosopher Albert Camus commented in The Rebel (1951) that the purpose of sculpture is to restore in three dimensions "the unity of great style to the general disorder of gestures." He went on to explain: "What it is looking for, in its periods of greatness, is the gesture, the expression, or the empty stare which will sum up all the gestures and all the stares in the world." This is certainly what we find in Augustus Saint-Gaudens' figure of Liberty taken from the Sherman monument. Unlike the lifelike and highly personalized representation of General Sherman, the figure of Liberty is a combination of the features of three different models. None is dominant and no particular gesture or expression is seen on Liberty's face. Rather, as Camus wrote, it is the "empty stare" that Saint-Gaudens has brought forth. The same empty stare was later transferred to the bust of Liberty seen on his ten dollar gold piece and the reproduction of the Sherman Liberty seen on the High Relief twenty dollar. When struck in high relief, as seen on the first production run of the Saint-Gaudens double eagles, the effect is one of startling reality. Even though Liberty has an "empty stare," it is clear that the figure is confidently striding forward into the future. This is a magnificent Gem that displays bright, sparkling mint luster and golden-yellow surfaces that are virtually free from contact marks (certainly none are visible to the unaided eye). Adjustments were made in the Mint in late 1907 to reduce the "finning" seen on the earlier versions of the High Relief. Their efforts certainly paid off when this piece was struck as the rims are almost completely flat around the margins on each side.
1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim, MS65+ NGC. The great Existentialist philosopher Albert Camus commented in The Rebel (1951) that the purpose of sculpture is to restore in three dimensions "the unity of great style to the general disorder of gestures." He went on to explain: "What it is looking for, in its periods of greatness, is the gesture, the expression, or the empty stare which will sum up all the gestures and all the stares in the world." This is certainly what we find in Augustus Saint-Gaudens' figure of Liberty taken from the Sherman monument. Unlike the lifelike and highly personalized representation of General Sherman, the figure of Liberty is a combination of the features of three different models. None is dominant and no particular gesture or expression is seen on Liberty's face. Rather, as Camus wrote, it is the "empty stare" that Saint-Gaudens has brought forth. The same empty stare was later transferred to the bust of Liberty seen on his ten dollar gold piece and the reproduction of the Sherman Liberty seen on the High Relief twenty dollar. When struck in high relief, as seen on the first production run of the Saint-Gaudens double eagles, the effect is one of startling reality. Even though Liberty has an "empty stare," it is clear that the figure is confidently striding forward into the future. This is a magnificent Gem that displays bright, sparkling mint luster and golden-yellow surfaces that are virtually free from contact marks (certainly none are visible to the unaided eye). Adjustments were made in the Mint in late 1907 to reduce the "finning" seen on the earlier versions of the High Relief. Their efforts certainly paid off when this piece was struck as the rims are almost completely flat around the margins on each side.