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Designer: Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Face Value: $20.00
Minted: 1907-1933
Precious Metal Content: .96750 oz. Pure Gold
Diameter: 34mm
Minted At: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco
The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is considered by many to be the most beautiful coin of all time and it is the most famous of all of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' works of art.
On the obverse of the coin, Liberty is portrayed striding toward the viewer into the dawn of a new day. In her right hand is a torch held aloft, and in her left hand is an olive branch. The Capitol building can be seen in the background to the lower left. Below the date the monogram of Saint-Gaudens appears boldly. At the top is the word LIBERTY, and around the border are 46 stars representing the states of the Union. The setting for the obverse was taken from Saint-Gaudens' famous Victory, part of the Sherman Monument in New York City's Central Park.
The reverse design, taken from the 1856-1858 Flying Eagle cent (one of Saint-Gaudens' favorite coins) depicts an American eagle in flight above the sun's rays with the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA* TWENTY DOLLARS arching across the top.
The original Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle design was in such high relief that, in the first issues intended for circulation, it took four or more blows from the coin press to fully bring out all the details. The engravers at the Philadelphia Mint objected vigorously to the new design and sought to have it modified or eliminated altogether. However, despite the production difficulties, President Roosevelt ordered the Mint to "begin the new issue even if it takes you one day to strike one piece!" Still, this did not put an end to the problems. Bankers complained that the high relief Double Eagles did not stack well. Furthermore, because of their unique motif, most of the coins were kept as souvenirs and never reached circulation. Only 11,250 of these high relief issues were minted before the Mint won out and the design relief was lowered to facilitate mass production.
Charles Barber prepared new dies to strike Double Eagles in a lower relief to facilitate production on modern, high-speed coin presses and satisfy the needs of bankers. The result of Barber's efforts was the final Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle design and the first entry into perhaps the most significant series of U.S. gold coins--a series which continued until 1933 when President Franklin Roosevelt confiscated privately owned gold and had most of these coins melted into lifeless gold bars.
