Heritage World Coin Auctions
Dallas Signature US Coin Sale 1265 7-8 Dec 2017
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High Relief Double Eagles
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS61 NGC. The goal of recruiting Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign the United States coinage, beginning in 1907, was to eradicate more than a century of what President Roosevelt and many others deemed to be inferior artistry in the U.S. coin design. Previous attempts to incorporate outside artists in the Mint's designing process had mostly failed due to bureaucracy and disagreements between the artists and the Mint's engraving department staff. President Roosevelt attempted to circumvent this obstacle by insisting on a single sculptor for the work and giving him free reign of the design's imagery within the bounds of the coinage laws. The result was a magnificent Ultra High Relief pattern double eagle struck in 1907 under multiple die impressions from a medal press. The artistry was magnificent but the practicality was lacking for mass production. Saint-Gaudens' designs underwent several stages of modifications before arriving at a low-relief alternative that would strike up fully with a single die impression. One of these stages was the High Relief 1907 coin, which was struck to the extent of 12,367 pieces. These coins embody the closest thing to Saint-Gaudens' original designs that most collectors can hope to acquire. Here offered is a Mint State example with full design definition and satiny yellow-gold luster. Although graded MS61, there are no individually distracting abrasions.
HID02901242017
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS61 NGC. The goal of recruiting Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign the United States coinage, beginning in 1907, was to eradicate more than a century of what President Roosevelt and many others deemed to be inferior artistry in the U.S. coin design. Previous attempts to incorporate outside artists in the Mint's designing process had mostly failed due to bureaucracy and disagreements between the artists and the Mint's engraving department staff. President Roosevelt attempted to circumvent this obstacle by insisting on a single sculptor for the work and giving him free reign of the design's imagery within the bounds of the coinage laws. The result was a magnificent Ultra High Relief pattern double eagle struck in 1907 under multiple die impressions from a medal press. The artistry was magnificent but the practicality was lacking for mass production. Saint-Gaudens' designs underwent several stages of modifications before arriving at a low-relief alternative that would strike up fully with a single die impression. One of these stages was the High Relief 1907 coin, which was struck to the extent of 12,367 pieces. These coins embody the closest thing to Saint-Gaudens' original designs that most collectors can hope to acquire. Here offered is a Mint State example with full design definition and satiny yellow-gold luster. Although graded MS61, there are no individually distracting abrasions.
HID02901242017