Lot 1369
1907 $20 St. Gaudens, High Relief, Roman Numerals, Wire Rim. PCGS graded MS-63+. Executing the design for what would later be termed "the most beautiful coin ever struck for circulation" was among the final activities of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Sadly, the great artist and sculptor died before any of the double eagle coins of his magnificent conception were ever released to the public. This was the culmination of a two-year project initiated in 1905, when Saint-Gaudens and President Theodore Roosevelt discussed the artistic impoverishment of American designs, and instituted a plan to upgrade the appearance of our national coinage. Ultimately, the two men hoped to produce coinage with sufficient aesthetic merit to compete, artistically, with the beautiful high relief pieces of ancient Greece.The High Relief coins represented a transitional step between the Ultra High Relief design and the Arabic Numerals version, which featured a further-lowered design relief that became the standard for the series after 1907. Mintage 12,367 (All Types).
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000.
Realized: $29,000