1907 $10 Wire Rim MS64 NGC....

Description

Wonderful Near-Gem 1907 Wire Rim Eagle

1907 $10 Wire Rim MS64 NGC. A wonderful volume titled Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor of the Gilded Age, by Henry J. Duffy and John F. Dryfhout, gives numismatists a refreshing view of the artist's oeuvre from a wider perspective than that of mere coinage. (It also clarifies for readers who are numismatically astute some of the fundamental differences between "the Saint" and Charles Barber--but that is a tale for another day.)
Saint-Gaudens was most comfortable working in large forms. One of his most famous sculptures, a nude, full-length figure of the Greek goddess Diana, was created in the 1890s, when architect Stanford White was designing Madison Square Garden. The 18-foot-tall statue was mounted as a weather vane atop the building's 347-foot-tall tower. Once it was installed "with great fanfare" in October 1891, it was the tallest feature in the New York City skyline.
The sculpture dwarfed the tower on which it rested, a fact that the artist soon realized, reworking it the following year to a height of 13 feet. The reduced-size figure remained atop Madison Square Garden until 1925, when it went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The original 18-foot statue was placed atop the Agriculture Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where it burned along with many empty exposition buildings the following year.
Duffy writes, "Saint-Gaudens's gift was his subtle balance between surface realism and psychic energy unmatched by any of his contemporaries." While Saint-Gaudens used his model of Athena Nike on the General Sherman Monument as his original conception for the 1907 Wire Rim, Periods eagles, he managed to translate that massive sculptural form into a vital profile portrait, while still maintaining its vitality and "psychic energy" in a credible, small coin format.
This piece offers glorious deep orange-gold coloration overall. A couple of abrasions are noted on the eagle's upper neck. Notice how the eagle manages to appear massive even at such a small scale, and the incredible grandeur and believability it projects. A wonderful type coin. Census: 79 in 64, 62 finer (9/09).(Registry values: N7079)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 268B, PCGS# 8850, Greysheet# 9744)

Weight: 16.72 grams

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper

Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.

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