Heritage World Coin Auctions
Long Beach Signature US Coin Sale 1256 8-9 Jun 2017
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High Relief Double Eagles
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim AU58 PCGS. CAC. Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a lifelong advocate of realism. He advocated to his pupils that the ancient Greeks should be an artistic influence, even before Michelangelo. When asked in 1905 to name the sculptors he set before his followers, the first two were Phidias and Praxiteles. Then came Michelangelo. The influence of Classical sculptors is clearly seen on the designs used for the ten and twenty dollar gold coins from 1907. The loose, flowing drapery on Liberty seen on the High Relief twenty is clearly reminiscent of sculpture from Hellenistic Greece. All the high-relief features are clearly evident on this near-Mint example. The deep folds in the drapery give much of the three-dimensionality to the obverse. Just a bit of high-point friction is apparent as well as slight friction in the fields that has thinned the satiny luster on each side. The bright yellow-gold surfaces show just the slightest tinge of reddish patina. Some lucky collector will see this near-Mint, CAC-endorsed High Relief for the good value it is.
HID02901242017
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim AU58 PCGS. CAC. Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a lifelong advocate of realism. He advocated to his pupils that the ancient Greeks should be an artistic influence, even before Michelangelo. When asked in 1905 to name the sculptors he set before his followers, the first two were Phidias and Praxiteles. Then came Michelangelo. The influence of Classical sculptors is clearly seen on the designs used for the ten and twenty dollar gold coins from 1907. The loose, flowing drapery on Liberty seen on the High Relief twenty is clearly reminiscent of sculpture from Hellenistic Greece. All the high-relief features are clearly evident on this near-Mint example. The deep folds in the drapery give much of the three-dimensionality to the obverse. Just a bit of high-point friction is apparent as well as slight friction in the fields that has thinned the satiny luster on each side. The bright yellow-gold surfaces show just the slightest tinge of reddish patina. Some lucky collector will see this near-Mint, CAC-endorsed High Relief for the good value it is.
HID02901242017