1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim, MS66 PCGS. CAC....

Description

MCMVII High Relief Double Eagle, MS66
Majestic Flat Rim Example

1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim, MS66 PCGS. CAC. Ex: Simpson. When the High Relief double eagles were released to the public in late-1907, it took collectors by surprise. But it was a surprise that was years in the making. President Roosevelt began thinking about the redesign of the nation's coinage in December 1904, when he wrote a note to Treasury Secretary Leslie Mortier Shaw:

"I think our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness. Would it be possible, without asking permission of Congress, to employ a man like Saint-Gaudens to give us a coinage that would have some beauty?"

Shaw replied that he did not see any problem with Saint-Gaudens' involvement in preparing new coinage designs. With this groundwork laid, it was up to the president to persuade the sculptor of his coinage ideas over dinner at the White House on January 12, 1905. After discussing Saint-Gaudens' Special Inaugural Medal, Roosevelt turned the conversation to the redesign of the nation's coinage. Saint-Gaudens accepted the challenge and initially intended to redesign the cent as well as the ten and twenty dollar gold pieces. The cent was later dropped from Saint-Gaudens' workload, but multiple engravings and experimental strikes continued on the two gold coins until the sculptor's death in early August, 1907. Roosevelt then became the driving force that finally placed the High Relief double eagles into production. They have remained a collector favorite ever since and are sought out by collectors in all grades.

Once Roosevelt pushed the Mint to produce and release the new High Relief twenties, the story was still not complete. The concavity of the die faces and the three-part segmented collar caused a thin layer of metal to be squeezed between the two and surround most of the periphery on each side. This was not a new phenomenon; in fact, Mint personnel even had a name for it, "finning." It was, however, seen as a strike deficiency and it wasn't until early December that the final, finished, correct version of the High Relief was produced. The so-called "Flat Rim" coins, such as this one, probably only account for 20% of the High Reliefs produced, and are quite scarce compared to their "Wire Rim" counterparts. This is a majestic example. The surfaces approach flawlessness. The satiny mint luster shows just the slightest tinge of reddish patina, as usually seen on both Flat Rim and Wire Rim examples. Exceptionally well preserved.(Registry values: N10218)

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.

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