SAINT GAUDENS TWENTY DOLLAR DOUBLE EAGLE
CERTIFIED BY PCGS MINT STATE 64
.
OBV: FULL FIGURE OF LIBERTY FACING WITH FLOWING HAIR, HOLDING A TORCH IN HER RIGHT HAND AND AN OLIVE BRANCH IN HER LEFT AND STANDING ON A ROCK, RADIANT SUNRISE BEHIND WITH U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING BACKGROUND LOWER LEFT; DATE BOTTOM RIGHT.
REV: A YOUNG BALD EAGLE IN FLIGHT AT SUNRISE, RADIANT SUN BELOW WITH MOTTO "IN GOD WE TRUST" AROUND EDGE OF DISC; DENOMINATION ABOVE.
BOTH OBVERSE AND REVERSE OF THIS ICONIC COIN WERE DESIGNED BY THE RENOWNED AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS, IRISH-BORN AMERICAN SCULPTOR (1848-1907). PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT PERSONALLY INVITED SAINT-GAUDENS TO REDESIGN AMERICAN GOLD COINS IN 1905.
THE 1907 AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS DOUBLE EAGLE COIN DESIGN IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EVER MINTED.
ROOSEVELT AND SAINT-GAUDENS BOTH WANTED TO THIS DESIGN TO BE PRODUCED IN ULTRA HIGH RELIEF, AND ALTHOUGH THEY COMPROMISED FOR MASS PRODUCTION WITH THE U.S. MINT DUE TO TECHNOLOGY RESTRICTIONS,
THE RESULT HAS BEEN CALLED “TRULY AMERICAN, CAPTURING OUR NATIONAL SPIRIT, AND A STUNNING WORK OF ART”.
MANY OF THE 1920 DOUBLE EAGLES WERE RETURNED TO BE MELTED BY THE MINT BUT SOME WERE SAVED, UNOFFICIALLY, BY TREASURY EMPLOYEES, AND NUMBERS VARY ACCORDING TO DATE. ORIGINAL MINTAGE AND CURRENT EXTANT NUMBERS ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE.
COIN CONTAINS 33.436 GRAMS OF .900 FINE GOLD
(.9675 OZ AGW)
33 MM IN DIAMETER
