1907 $20 High Relief PR62 NGC....

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Renowned 1907 High Relief, PR62, Wire Rim

1907 $20 High Relief PR62 NGC. In his 1913 Reminiscences, Homer Saint-Gaudens quoted his late father: "A sculptor's work endures so long it is next to a crime for him not to do everything in his power to produce a good result." This quote forms the basis for understanding the complete catalog of works by Saint-Gaudens from his days as a cameo cutter until his final days when he was working with Henry Hering on the designs for the ten and twenty dollar gold pieces. Saint-Gaudens produced several medals, but his most renowned works in small format are the ten and twenty dollar gold pieces. The artistic nature of these coins makes them his most affordable and accessible sculptural works.

The sculptural nature of Saint-Gaudens double eagle is best brought out by the pinpoint precision of the proof strikings. This piece has all the elements required of a proof. The design elements display extreme sharpness, both in the centers and at the peripheries; there is an absence of die erosion or distortion; numerous, raised die polishing lines are evident and are particularly bold on this piece as a proof rather than a business strike; no radial flow lines are evident giving the coin a uniformly satiny surface; and there is a slight build-up of extruded metal just inside the borders at some places which is a result of additional strikes from the hydraulic press. Close examination with a loupe reveals a few scattered contact marks, but the only one worthy of mention is in the reverse field between the upper and lower wings of the eagle.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 28HM, PCGS# 908549, GSID# 10199)

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