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HomeUS CoinsAER Acquires Virtually Flawless $20 High Relief Saint-Gaudens Gold

AER Acquires Virtually Flawless $20 High Relief Saint-Gaudens Gold

High Relief Saint-Gaudens

In March 2017, the American Eagle Reserve acquired the unparalleled 1907 $20 High Relief Saint-Gaudens Wire-Rim certified by PCGS Mint State-69, further endorsed by CAC, for a price that is likely a record for this coin. The coin has since been sold into a private collection that contains many great high-grade U.S. gold coins.

Most would agree, the 1907 $20 High Relief Saint-Gaudens gold coin is possibly be the most beautiful coin ever released by the United States Mint for normal circulation. It’s a coin that was the first of its kind and has long been a favorite among collectors.

When President Teddy Roosevelt took office he set out to change the look of American coinage. He sought out one of the most talented artist of that era, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to redefine America’s gold coins. Aside from a few pattern coins that show the Ultra High Relief, the High Reliefs represent most closely Augustus Saint-Gaudens original design for the America’s new $20 gold piece.

High Relief Saint-GaudensUnfortunately, the high-relief design proved to be unpractical. The high relief of Lady Liberty made the coins virtually impossible to stack, which in turn made the coins less than ideal for commercial purposes. Furthermore, the high-relief design reportedly required five blows of the minting press to fully bring up the design making the usual high-speed mass production nearly impossible.

The U.S. Mint struck 11,250 of the 1907 $20 High Relief gold coins before the Mint changed “flattened” the design to make it practical for commerce and mass production. Most guides state 8,250 were of the Wire Rim variety and the remaining 3,000 of the Flat Rim variety.

Since then, 1907 $20 Saint-Gaudens High Relief gold coins are typically always available and affordable to most collectors. The present specimen, however, is unique in this PCGS MS69 grade and unique in the CAC population report. In our opinion, it is hands down the finest Mint-State example of a $20 Saint-Gaudens gold coin and is virtually ‘as struck’ when it came off the mint press more than a century ago.

Coins are graded on a scale from 1 to 70, with 70 being reserved for absolutely flawless coins. This is the only 1907 $20 High Relief business strike known in near-flawless MS-69 grade and there are none known finer. In fact, this could by the finest-known business strike Pre-1933 U.S. gold coin from any year or denomination.

Having dealt in rare United States gold coins for more than a decade, American Eagle Reserve has the privilege of handling countless great U.S. coins. We have had some truly fascinating and superior quality specimens pass through our hands. However, this is by far the nicest example we have ever had the privilege of handling.

Company & Contact Information

American Eagle Reserve
Walt Durham
Phone: 877-227-2646
[email protected].

AU Capital Management, LLC
7550 S. Quincy Street
Willowbrook, IL 60527

Russell A. Augustin
FL: 630-280-7300
IL: (630) 280-7300
[email protected]

Russell A. Augustin
Russell A. Augustinhttps://www.aucm.com
Russell Augustin entered the numismatic profession in 1982. He specializes in U.S. gold, Pioneer and Fractional gold coinage, Early Type and Early Dollars and ancient Roman and Greek coinage. Russell attended both Ohio Wesleyan and Harvard Universities. Thereafter, he served as Vice President and Director of Numismatics at two national coin companies. He founded NumisTech Consulting, and has been an appraiser for the federal government, price consultant for a rare coin fund, and advisor to a major New England advertising agency. In 2005, Russ established AU Capital Management (AUCM), LLC, where he is currently owner and president. In 2016, AUCM became an affiliate of the numismatic powerhouse, RARCOA, and relocated its fulfillment center to Illinois.

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