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

Description

1907 High Relief Double Eagle, MS66
Wire Rim, Rich Frosted Mint Luster

1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS66 PCGS. CAC. In the decades following the Civil War, the subject of loyalty was brought into numerous discussions, including art. The essential question was reduced to: Would an American-born artist who went to Europe to study turn into a European artist? Fellow sculptor and writer Lorado Taft provided a succinct answer:

"With the advent of Saint Gaudens there came a notable change in the spirit of American Sculpture, while the rapid transformation of its technic [sic] was no less marked and significant. Though we owe this change largely to Paris, the result has not been French sculpture. Paris has vitalized the dormant tastes and energies of America - that is all."

In other words, although Saint-Gaudens was trained in Paris, he did not return to this country and become America's Rodin. Instead, he was influenced by, and also influenced, many of his well-known and highly talented contemporaries. American art and sculpture at the end of the 19th century was primarily concerned about giving a realistic portrayal and finding the core of the subject. Saint-Gaudens' commitment to realism is easily demonstrated by his adaptation of the Nike of Samothrace that he used on both the Sherman Memorial as well as the obverse of the High Relief double eagle. His dedication to realism is also seen by the eagle-in-flight on the reverse of the High Relief. These two design elements when combined with nearly three-dimensional production created a coin that was more than the sum of its parts, something truly American and something that captured the "tastes and energies of America."

This is an exceptional representative of this truly American coin. Each side glows with soft, frosted mint luster and there are no obvious or noticeable contact marks. The wire rim or "fin" in Mint parlance is especially pronounced around much of the obverse; while the reverse fin completely surrounds that side but not to the height seen on the obverse. The surfaces are mostly bright yellow-gold with just the faintest suggestion of light reddish patina.
From The Joan Zieg Steinbrenner Collection. (Registry values: N10218)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 26F2, PCGS# 9135, Greysheet# 10131)

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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