1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim, MS67 PCGS....

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1907 High Relief Twenty Dollar, MS67
Scarcer Flat Rim Variant
Famed Sculptor's Final Work

1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim, MS67 PCGS. Ex: Simpson. Theodore Roosevelt is well-known as the main driver behind the eventual production of the ten and twenty dollar gold pieces of 1907. In late-1904 he promised his support to Augustus Saint-Gaudens in making Mint officials and especially Engraver Charles Barber accede to Saint-Gaudens' high relief designs and the president's wishes. Roosevelt also seems to have had a keen interest in eliminating the red tape and general attitude of 'It can't be done' within the Mint. His drive to produce the coins never flagged. Even when Saint-Gaudens' health declined to the point of being undeniable, the president continued to urge the sculptor forward. By mid-1906 work on the coins slowed almost to a halt. Roosevelt sent Saint-Gaudens a letter in June urging him: 'Don't forget to tell me when you want me to take up our brethren of the mint and grapple with them on the subject of the coins.' Progress inched forward afterward, but progressed in 1907 with a great deal of help from his engraver / assistant Henry Hering. Saint-Gaudens did not live to see the final results in coin form. He died in early August 1907 and the High Relief twenties began to be produced later that month. What is undeniable is it was only possible for the High Reliefs to be produced by the pairing of Saint-Gaudens' artistic ability with Theodore Roosevelt's influence, persistence, and enthusiasm for the project. This pairing led to what is most frequently called the most beautiful coin ever produced.

Production of High Relief twenties began on August 27, 1907. However, it was a learning process for Mint officials as well as coiners. When the hubs were cut from the models based on the Ultra High Relief twenties, the coins "only " required three blows from a hydraulic press to fully bring up details, rather than the seven required by the initial design (the Ultra High Relief) that were mostly produced in February.

The Mint had produced medals in high relief for decades, but for some reason this knowledge did not easily transfer to the production of a gold coin struck in high relief. After the treasury secretary complained in mid-December about "finning" that had still not been removed from the High Relief twenties, Mint officials scrambled for a solution, one that proved more readily available than initially thought. The following extensive quotation is taken from a footnote on page 120 of Roger Burdette's 2006 Renaissance of American Coinage, 1905-1908:

"Planchets for the high relief $20 had normal double eagle milling until mid-December 1907 when Barber had the milling and refining department change to a different diameter and upset angle. This information was provided by director Frank Leach who had done experiments for director Roberts in early 1907, when Leach was superintendent at the San Francisco Mint. Roberts approached Leach as something of an independent experimenter and sent him photos of the first models in December 1906. Leach had experimental 'pre-shaped' planchets made, and had conducted several experiments with improving the striking of high relief coins by altering the milling. Roberts had loaned him his personal copy of the EHR $20 in April, so Leach could provide additional suggestions. Roberts used San Francisco as a 'test site' because they had more experience with gold than Philadelphia. Also, they were striking Mexican and Philippine gold which had higher relief than the old U.S. $20. A final reason was that Roberts felt Leach 'was the best administrator in the service.' The result of using Leach's suggested milling was that the fin ('wire rim') was completely eliminated on the last third of the high relief pieces struck (generally after Dec 20, 1907). These coins are also more evenly struck and have better detail near the rim than earlier pieces."

This last note, about Flat Rim twenties being better struck around the rims, is something we have not heard before and have not noticed. However, in this sampling of one coin it does appear to be the case. The sharpness of detail is especially noticeable at the top of the reverse with no blending of the tops of the letters into the rim, a feature seen on some High Relief twenties. We do disagree with Roger's comment about Leach's adjustments resulting in the complete elimination of finning, or the wire rim. We have seen very few coins with no trace of a wire rim, but Leach's adjustments did result in a drastic reduction of the fin around the rims. On this particular coin there is just the slightest finning present around the reverse rim from 2 to 6 o'clock, but it is so much lower than what is seen on this design's Wire Rim counterpart that it would not be noticeable unless pointed out. Less than 25% of the High Relief coins seen today exhibit the Flat Rim.

The surfaces display thick, sparkling satiny mint luster, the finish always seen on High Relief twenties, but it is even thicker and brighter on this piece than normally encountered. Even yellow-gold color is undiminished in the 115 years since this magnificent coin was minted. The strike details are complete in all areas and there are no noticeable contact marks on either side. Population: 13 in 67 (2 in 67+), 4 finer (8/25).(Registry values: N10218)
From The Alymaya Collection, Part II.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 26F2, PCGS# 9136, Greysheet# 10133)

Weight: 33.44 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.

View all of [The Alymaya Collection, Part II. ]

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