1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim MS65 NGC....

Description

Wonderful Gem MCMVII High Relief, Flat Rim

1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim MS65 NGC. The MCMVII (or 1907) High Relief double eagle is a coin that has many similarities to the 1856 Flying Eagle cent. The 1856 Flying Eagle cent was a radical departure for 19th century numismatics from the old "big copper" cents and half cents, which gasped their last in 1857. The 1856 Flying Eagle cent is technically a pattern. It is listed as Judd-180 in United States Pattern Coins, although legions of numismatists desire the coin and collect it as part of the regular series of Flying Eagle and Indian Head cents. Both originals and restrikes were produced, with the originals sent to Congressmen, newspaper editors, and other influential types, to the extent of perhaps 1,000 coins, in order to stimulate awareness of and demand for the new cent.
The MCMVII High Relief double eagle is also, of course, a welcome and radical departure in U.S. coinage history. It technically is not a pattern, but its design was nonetheless unsuited for the exigencies of high-speed coinage in production quantities. That it was produced in quantity at all is due to the force of personality and will on the part of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. The number of "business strikes" is pegged at 12,367 pieces, with Bowers, Judd and the Guide Book all (finally!) agreeing. (The obstructionist Mint engraver, Charles Barber, succeeded in vitiating the design's vigor after Saint-Gaudens' death.) Some collectors may be surprised to learn that all High Relief examples were not immediately snatched out of circulation--the NGC and PCGS population data show considerable numbers in circulated grades down to Very Good condition. Both coins are listed in Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth's 100 Greatest U.S. Coins (2003) as numbers 23 and 25, respectively, on pages 40 and 42, out of the Top 100. Finally, both coins are among the "keys" to their respective sets--although, in the case of the double eagles, there are many others!
This wonderful Flat Rim example boasts only scant traces of a wire rim around each side, as do most representatives of the somewhat artificial numismatic divide between Wire and Flat rims. The lustrous surfaces are honey-gold, and even under a loupe that are no singular distractions. Today's numismatic marketplace shows no signs of waning for Gem examples of wonderful representatives of U.S. coinage such as the present piece.(Registry values: N7079)

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

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Weight: 33.44 grams
AGW: 0.9675oz

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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