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Free Appraisal
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim, PR69 NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1319
| Lot: 3815 | Sep 20, 2020
Sold For:
$660,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS69 PCGS.
As we wrote in the introductory section to the 1907 High Relief, this issue was a revision of Saint-Gaudens' Ultra High Relief double eagle, as the latter proved impractical for circulation strikes because it required seven blows from a 150-ton medal press to fully articulate the design. The "High Relief" could be struck after just three blows of the medal press. Over 12,000 High Relief twenties were struck by the end of December, 1907.
As we also pointed out earlier, a so-called "Wire Rim" protruded around the outer extremity in the coins, which resulted from excessive metal flow between the die face and collar during the striking process. Unlike today's collectors who consider the Wire Rim to be a highly collectible variety, Mint officials considered it to be a striking deficiency. This "flaw" in the striking process was corrected around mid-December, and subsequent High Relief double eagles possessed what became known as a "Flat Rim."
The High Relief Wire Rim example we offer in the present lot is a supremely preserved, satiny gem of this highly regarded Saint-Gaudens issue. The execution of this design in high relief has, to date, been the ultimate achievement of the coiner's art--a fact widely recognized and reflected in the price of these coins. The design elements on this coin are very well defined, indeed better that what might be expected for the issue. Despite multiple blows, the typical High Relief Wire Rim specimen may display weakness on the stars, on the Liberty and eagle motifs, and the on the tops of the letters. The present Morse coin reveals strong definition in most of these areas. Only small portions of the Capitol building and the eagle's wing feathers exhibit minor softness. A pleasing yellow-gold patina bathes each side, both of which have managed to escape any signs of post-striking impairments, and the radiant, satiny luster has a gleam that is unique to High Reliefs. The overall effect is one of origina
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 392
| Lot: 6523 | Nov 3, 2005
Sold For:
$575,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS69 PCGS.
Frank A. Leach was superintendent of the U.S. Mint in San Francisco from 1897 to 1907. He assumed the title of mint director in Washington in 1907 after the resignation of George E. Roberts from the post, and moved there in time to assume his new duties by Oct. 1, 1907. As the following excerpt shows, Leach was a crucial figure in the production of the Saint-Gaudens coinage. Leach wrote his memoirs titled
Recollections of a Newspaper Man--A Record of Life and Events in California,
published in 1917 by Samuel Levinson of San Francisco. Bowers and Merena Galleries republished a portion of that work in 1987 as
Recollections of a Mint Director.
Some excerpts from that text follow, dealing with the circumstances surrounding production of the High Relief issues:
"Another very important matter was in hand in the bureau when I arrived at Washington, which was soon to cause me some anxiety, and that was the perfection of President Roosevelt's scheme for new designs for all the gold coins of our country. There were a number prominent people in the East, especially in New York and Boston, who some time before began an agitation for an improvement in appearance of all our coinage. The President quickly became the leading spirit of the movement. The prevalent idea in this undertaking was that the design and execution of our coinage were inferior and inartistic when compared with those of ancient Greece; and as the coins used by a nation are one of the most enduring records of the art and mechanical skill of its age, our government should make an issue of coinage that would leave to future generations and ages something that would more truthfully and correctly reflect the artistic taste and mechanical ability of our day than the coinage then in use, unchanged for so many years."
Leach then makes a surprising comment concerning what he considers to be the derivative nature of the Saint-Gaudens coinage--at least in thei
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 422
| Lot: 3789 | Jan 6, 2007
Sold For:
$546,250.00
Alexander Calder (1898-1976)
The Black Dress
, 1959
Sheet metal, brass, wire and paint
16 x 12 x 2-3/4 inches (40.6 x 30.5 x 7.0 cm)
Signed on the base:
CA
Auction 8201
| Lot: 77006 | May 13, 2025
Sold For:
$500,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS68 NGC.
Auction 1298
| Lot: 3911 | Aug 18, 2019
Sold For:
$432,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS69 PCGS. CAC.
...
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1102
| Lot: 1766 | Mar 7, 2008
Sold For:
$517,500.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim, Plain Edge, Judd-1902, formerly Judd-1774A, Pollock-1996, R.8, PR62 NGC.
Auction 1143
| Lot: 3561 | Aug 15, 2010
Sold For:
$359,375.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim Indian Head Ten Dollar, Judd-1902, formerly Judd-1774A, Pollock-1996, R.8, PR62 NGC.
(PCGS# 62236)
Auction 1166
| Lot: 5030 | Jan 8, 2012
Sold For:
$345,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim, MS67 PCGS. CAC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1380
| Lot: 4930 | Jan 19, 2025
Sold For:
$324,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 PCGS. CAC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1276
| Lot: 4273 | Jun 17, 2018
Sold For:
$312,000.00
Lynda Benglis (b. 1941)
Kutumb
(five elements), 1981-1982
Wire mesh, hydrocal, gesso, oil-based size, gold leaf
41 x 17-1/2 x 10-1/2 inches (104.1 x 44.5 x 26.7 cm) (largest element)
Signed and dated on four elements:
L Benglis / 82
(Total: 5 Items)
Auction 8228
| Lot: 77010 | Nov 19, 2025
Sold For:
$300,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief Wire Rim PR68★ NGC.
(PCGS# 908549)
Auction 1209
| Lot: 3499 | Sep 6, 2014
Sold For:
$282,000.00
Make Offer to Owner
$423,000 or more
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS67 PCGS.
Auction 1347
| Lot: 3344 | Jul 14, 2022
Sold For:
$336,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim, MS67 PCGS.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1385
| Lot: 3519 | Aug 31, 2025
Sold For:
$240,124.80
1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim MS68 PCGS.
The Flat Rim variant of the 1907 High Relief was produced to solve the problem of a wire rim. This "problem" was created by an extruded rim of metal, or "fin," caused by a tiny bit of gold that squeezed between the die and segmented collar from repeated blows of the 150-ton medal press employed to strike the coins. Most of the first two-thirds of High Relief double eagles suffered from the "fin," and mint officials considered it both an aesthetic defect and a legal difficulty: The fin quickly abraded off the coins, leaving an underweight gold piece. The "fin" was certainly not considered an aesthetic element, as commonly regarded by collectors today. The milling procedure and planchet size for the double eagle blanks were slightly modified to correct this small flaw about December 16, according to numismatic researcher Roger W. Burdette.
Flat Rim coins are several times scarcer than their Wire Rim counterparts, but they remain an underrated and largely underappreciated variant of the High Relief. Even though much of the original mintage was saved by collectors, after nearly 100 years most are in the lower to middle Mint State grades, or they show signs of circulation. Some were doubtless carried as pocket pieces.
After examining hundreds of High Relief twenties, we have observed that Wire Rim pieces do not necessarily have a complete wire rim, and conversely Flat Rim pieces may show traces of a localized wire rim. It is generally accepted that about 33% (the final 4,000 pieces or so out of the original mintage of more than 12,000 coins) of the High Reliefs minted were of the Flat Rim variety; however, their survival ratio is much lower, with probably no more than 20% to 25% of the Flat Rims known today. Another possibility for the lower survival rate is that perhaps the conventional wisdom's estimate is a bit off. It might be simply that the Flat Rim High Reliefs were released later, and thus were less of a novelty.
A str
(PCGS# 9136)
Auction 422
| Lot: 3796 | Jan 6, 2007
Sold For:
$316,250.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 PCGS. CAC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1311
| Lot: 4000 | Jan 12, 2020
Sold For:
$228,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS67+ NGC. CAC.
Auction 1278
| Lot: 5286 | Aug 16, 2018
Sold For:
$312,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim, MS67+★ NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1364
| Lot: 3286 | Aug 20, 2023
Sold For:
$210,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 PCGS.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1314
| Lot: 3864 | Apr 26, 2020
Sold For:
$204,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim Indian Head Ten Dollar, Plain Edge, Judd-1774A, Pollock-1996, Unique, Satin PR62 NGC.
Assuming the office of President, after the untimely death of William McKinley on September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt would later be elected to that position on November 8, 1904. During his nearly eight-year term as the 26th President of the United States, Roosevelt would greatly affect the course of U.S. history in the 20th century. Among his many other achievements, he would bring United States coinage out of the 19th century with the introduction of two of what many numismatists believe to be the most beautiful coins ever designed and produced by this country.
After a visit to the Smithsonian Institution in 1905 where he viewed an exhibit of Greek coins, Roosevelt commissioned the New Hampshire sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign the Eagle ($10 gold piece) and Double Eagle ($20 gold piece). For the obverse of the Eagle, Saint-Gaudens chose a head of Liberty that he had originally prepared for his Sherman Monument (which one can still see at the southern terminus of New York City's Central Park). Alice Butler posed as the model for this rendition of Liberty, which Saint-Gaudens based on a Hellenistic Wingless Liberty on the temple of Zeus Soter at Pergamon. Although the sculptor originally placed an olive wreath on Liberty's head, Roosevelt insisted that it be replaced by an Indian feathered war bonnet. The President also switched Saint-Gaudens' original reverse design for the Eagle with that for his Double Eagle, the former coin now displaying a majestic eagle striding left with a bundle of arrows and an olive branch in its claws. Thirteen stars around the upper obverse periphery, the date below Liberty's portrait, and the usual statutory inscriptions on the reverse rounded out the design of what would become famous as the Indian Eagle. It should be noted that, at this juncture, the design did not include the motto IN GOD WE TRUST because Roosevelt felt the pres
Auction 308
| Lot: 8914 | Jan 11, 2003
Sold For:
$195,500.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim MS68 PCGS.
The Flat Rim variant of the 1907 High Relief was produced to solve the problem of a wire rim. This "problem" was created by an extruded rim of metal caused by a tiny bit of gold that squeezed between the die and segmented collar from repeated blows from the press.
Flat Rim coins are several times scarcer than their Wire Rim counterparts, but they remain an underrated and largely under-appreciated variant of the High Relief. Even though much of the original mintage was saved by collectors, after nearly 100 years most are in the lower to middle Mint State grades, or they show signs of circulation. Some were doubtless carried as pocket pieces.
This piece has the usual satiny luster common to all High Relief twenties, and the striking details are exceptionally bold. The Capitol building, stars, olive branch, and the Liberty and eagle motifs display excellent definition. The surfaces are immaculately preserved over both sides, exhibiting no signs of mishandling. A barely discernible luster graze on the top rear of the eagle's left wing is mentioned for accuracy. As we noted in the introductory writeup of the 1907 High Relief, some Flat Rim pieces show traces of a localized Wire Rim. Such is the case with the present coin, where some wire-like remnants are seen along portions of the right obverse rim. Population: 1 in 68, 0 finer (9/05).
From The Phillip H. Morse Collection of Saint-Gaudens Coinage.
(PCGS# 9136)
Auction 392
| Lot: 6527 | Nov 3, 2005
Sold For:
$264,500.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS68 NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1302
| Lot: 3426 | Dec 5, 2019
Sold For:
$264,000.00
Back to the Future Part II
(Universal, 1989), Screen Used Hero "Flying" Wire-Rig Lenticular Hoverboard and Harnesses used by Michael J. Fox as "Marty McFly" and his Stunt Double Charlie Croughwell.
(Total: 3 Items)
Auction 7388
| Lot: 89124 | Dec 7, 2024
Sold For:
$237,500.00
Make Offer to Owner
$356,250 or more
Lynda Benglis (b. 1941)
Shankh
, 1980
Wire mesh, plaster, gesso, oil-based size, and gold leaf
41 x 16 x 13 inches (104.1 x 40.6 x 33.0 cm) (overall)
Auction 8201
| Lot: 77009 | May 13, 2025
Sold For:
$175,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim, MS67★ NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1377
| Lot: 3246 | Sep 15, 2024
Sold For:
$168,000.00
1907 $20 Large Letters PR64 NGC.
Ex: Trompeter. Again, like the Small Letters above, the Large Letters Arabic twenty is technically a pattern, although unrecognized as such in the literature. The year 1907 was one of great experimentation in the mint, and great diversity is seen in the double eagle series. In this single year, coins were struck as Ultra High Reliefs, proof High Reliefs, regular High Reliefs with a wire rim, regular High Reliefs with a flat rim, lowered relief proofs from both Collar I and Collar II, and low relief business strikes. This Large Letters proof edge variant is apparently unique. The Ultra High Reliefs had the largest edge lettering in the series, followed by the regular issue High Reliefs with collars I and II. Collar I was either used in error or experimentally on this matte proof and only one coin was produced. Coins with Collar I read: I * * * * * * * E * I P L U R I B U S I * U N U M * * * * I. To further distinguish this coin from its earlier, Small Letters counterpart, the Collar I coins show the bases of M in UNUM level, but on Collar II coins they are slanted. We believe the Large Letters Arabic Numerals proof was produced
after
the Small Letters proof striking(s). We base this belief on the presence of an area of die polishing seen around 9 o'clock on the obverse rim. Such an area of die polish would surely have been present and visible on an earlier striking, and it is for this reason that we conclude that this piece was struck after the Small Letters proof(s). Also, this piece shows complete definition on the Capitol building, indicating mint personnel had a better grasp of how many tons of pressure to apply to strike this coin than the Small Letters piece, which displays obvious softness on the Capitol.
This particular coin is most easily identifiable by a shallow, horizontal planchet flake located to the left of the branch stem held in Liberty's right (facing) hand, Also, there are minor planchet imperfections around the e
(PCGS# 9198)
Auction 392
| Lot: 6536 | Nov 3, 2005
Sold For:
$230,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim, Irregular Edge Stars, Judd-1901, Pollock-1995, MS65 PCGS.
(PCGS# 98850)
Auction 1390
| Lot: 3299 | Jan 17, 2026
Sold For:
$164,090.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 PCGS.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1158
| Lot: 7681 | Aug 14, 2011
Sold For:
$161,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 NGC.
The 1907 High Relief Wire Rim twenty dollar, according to the Census reports, is readily available in Mint State grades through MS64. It becomes considerably scarcer in Gem and Premium Gem, and very challenging in MS67 and higher grades. Indeed, a total of just 22 MS67 specimens, the grade of the piece in the current lot, have been seen by both NGC and PCGS, along with 5 coins grading higher (9/05). Moreover, according to our auction records, only five Superb Gems have made appearances over the past 25 or so years. We present a review of four of these sales below.
In its August 1978 sale of the Kaufman Sale, RARCOA offered a piece described as having "magnificent deep golden toning" (lot 1907). The specimen appearing in Superior's October 1989 of the Heifetz Collection (lot 5200) is described as follows: "the strike is spectacular, crisp and bold, with no signs of weakness." The 1907 High Relief in Superior's May 1990 sale is called "Perfect-sleek, elegant, pleasing to the eye and impeccable" (lot 5790). Finally, a Superb Gem we sold in our August 1997 ANA Sale is described thus: "the radiant, satiny luster has a gleam that is unique to High Reliefs" (lot 7873).
The descriptors applied to the foregoing MS67 High Reliefs can be applied to the present coin from the Phillip Morse Collection. It has deep yellow-gold toning over a satiny finish with radiant luster. The strike is exquisite, with all of the design elements displaying excellent definition, and the surfaces are impeccably preserved, exhibiting not even a few minor abrasions that might serve as pedigree markers. Indeed, the only identifiers on this coin are a couple of light alloy spots, one in the middle of the eagle's lowest tail feather, and another on a feathertip over the eagle's leg. A faint wire rim is noted along the right (facing) obverse.
From The Phillip H. Morse Collection of Saint-Gaudens Coinage.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 392
| Lot: 6524 | Nov 3, 2005
Sold For:
$149,500.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS67 NGC.
Auction 1108
| Lot: 3461 | Jun 2, 2008
Sold For:
$149,500.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim, MS66 NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1371
| Lot: 4408 | Jan 14, 2024
Sold For:
$144,000.00
1907 $10 Rolled Rim MS65 NGC.
Judd-1903. As part of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' commission to redesign the four circulating gold coins plus the cent at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt, at one point the sculptor proposed to Roosevelt that the head of Liberty wearing the feather headdress for the obverse, combined with the flying eagle on the reverse, should be used on the twenty dollar piece (and on the cent), rather than the striding full figure of Liberty on the obverse that was ultimately adopted. So that Saint-Gaudens could see the concept embodied on a coin, Roosevelt ordered a piece to be made, creating one of the rarest and most celebrated of all pattern coins, the Judd-1905 gold Indian Head double eagle. Only a single piece was produced. Roosevelt reviewed the concept coin with Mint Director George E. Roberts, who replied to Saint-Gaudens that the walking figure of Liberty would apply to the double eagle, with the "feather head of Liberty with the standing eagle" on the ten dollar coin (Roger Burdette,
Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1908).
Roberts made no further mention of the cent.
The first models for the ten dollar coin had deeply cut edges, soft detailing, and the date in Roman numerals, which Roberts deemed impractical. The first production coins had a wire or knife rim, and triangular dots for periods before and after TEN DOLLARS. Coins of the new design would not stack. During this time Mint personnel were still experimenting with the 46-star edge collar, and early specimens had irregularly spaced, different-sized stars along the edge. Mint Engraver Charles Barber, curtailing his summer vacation (and deeply resenting Saint-Gaudens, apparently to the end), redesigned the eagles with a rounded rim. Although in the meantime a third version of the eagle had been received (from Homer Saint-Gaudens, Augustus's son). Saint-Gaudens died from intestinal cancer in August 1907 and general confusion resulted in the production of 31,500 coins with the
Auction 422
| Lot: 3673 | Jan 6, 2007
Sold For:
$195,500.00
1907 $10 Rolled Edge MS65 PCGS.
The 1907 Rolled Edge ten dollar coins were struck with the intent to be circulated, unlike the earlier Wire Rim coins. The original mintage of these coins is not specifically known, however, Mint records and correspondence indicate that 31,500 examples were struck; however, nearly all of these were melted. The exact number of survivors is also not known with certainty, although it was certainly a very small quantity. Most references provide the surviving quantity as a mere 42 coins. Recently, Roger Burdette gave a revised figure of 50 coins. Of course, either figure gives a good indication of the true rarity of these coins.
The same figure of 50 coins is sometimes quoted as the number of "Proof" examples of this issue produced on the medal press at the Mint, rather than the normal high-speed production presses. Regarding the existence of proof examples, Burdette commented: "All Normal Rim [Rolled Edge] pieces were struck on production presses. There are not deliberate 'Proofs" - Sandblast, Satin, Brilliant, or anything else - of these coins. Some specimens were better struck than others, and some are better preserved than others, but that is virtually all that differentiates one knife rim eagle from another." Mr. Burdette has also renamed these coins the "Normal Rim" coins, suggesting that the actual obverse and reverse rims are essentially the same as later production issues. According to the May 31, 2004
Coin World
article, Burdette is the author of a soon to be published book titled
Renaissance of American Coinage, 1905-1908,
which we are looking forward to reading once it is released.
President Theodore Roosevelt was very unhappy with the appearance of the national coinage, and once elected to the Oval Office, was able to do something about it. He contacted Augustus Saint-Gaudens as well as Bela Lyon Pratt, and between the two engravers had an entirely new set of coinage designs prepared for all four gold denomin
Auction 352
| Lot: 7540 | Aug 21, 2004
Sold For:
$195,500.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 PCGS. CAC.
Auction 1353
| Lot: 11068 | Sep 29, 2022
Sold For:
$192,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 PCGS.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1166
| Lot: 4600 | Jan 8, 2012
Sold For:
$138,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1136
| Lot: 2283 | Jan 10, 2010
Sold For:
$138,000.00
1838 25C PR66 PCGS.
Ex: Pittman. B-1, R.8 as a proof. Only two or three proofs are known of the 1838 Capped Bust quarter dollars. In his
Proof Encyclopedia,
Breen reported just one proof, a coin that appeared for sale by New Netherlands in their 53rd sale. This coin from the Pittman collection is a second, and the Norweb family also owned a proof. The description of the New Netherlands coin does not sound like a proof, thus we believe that there are actually only two proofs of this issue known. We have handled both examples in the past, with the Norweb coin certified as PR68★ NGC.
Only one variety is known for the 1838 Capped Bust quarter dollars, producing both business strikes and proofs. The reverse was earlier used in 1837 for the B-2 variety, also produced in proof format. From 3 o'clock to 7 o'clock, the reverse border has extensions of the denticles "that make it appear as though little talons are gripping it," according to Akers.
In the Pittman catalog, David Akers wrote: "Despite a slight weakness on several stars and on the curls just above Liberty's eyebrow, this coin is very well struck with a sharp, square edge and a partial wire rim. The deep mirror fields have only a few faint hairlines and no marks of significance, just one tiny one between the tip of the bust and the first star. The original, natural toning is a superb combination of russet, violet, blue, and greenish-gold."
Ex: Stack's (3/1949), lot 655; John Jay Pittman Collection (David Akers, 5/1998), lot 1296; Heritage (1/2004), lot 2050.
(PCGS# 5386)
Auction 422
| Lot: 908 | Jan 6, 2007
Sold For:
$184,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim, MS66+ PCGS.
Auction 1314
| Lot: 3827 | Apr 26, 2020
Sold For:
$132,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS66 NGC. CAC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1359
| Lot: 3317 | May 7, 2023
Sold For:
$132,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS65 PCGS Secure.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1274
| Lot: 4443 | Apr 29, 2018
Sold For:
$132,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 PCGS. CAC.
Auction 1209
| Lot: 3454 | Sep 6, 2014
Sold For:
$129,250.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67+★ NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1160
| Lot: 5193 | Oct 16, 2011
Sold For:
$126,500.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 PCGS.
Auction 1336
| Lot: 3693 | Nov 14, 2021
Sold For:
$120,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 NGC. CAC.
Auction 1181
| Lot: 5921 | Jan 14, 2013
Sold For:
$117,500.00
1907 $10 No Periods MS68 PCGS.
Most collectors know Augustus Saint-Gaudens was both the most prominent sculptor of his time, as well as the designer of the eagle and double eagle that still bear his name. In 1906 and the first half of 1907, Augustus Saint-Gaudens' health was deteriorating rapidly. However, an enthusiastic President Roosevelt insisted on holding Saint-Gaudens to his promise to create models of the ten and twenty dollar gold coins the two had discussed in 1905. Saint-Gaudens was, indeed, dragging his feet on completing this project. In addition to a loss of energy brought on by his declining health, he also had other sculptural commissions to complete in 1906 and 1907. Despite these conflicts, on December 15, 1906, models for the two large denomination gold coins were delivered to the Executive Mansion.
The 1907 Wire Rim eagle represented the first attempt by Saint-Gaudens to execute an Indian Head design in U.S. gold which was, in reality, a left facing portrait of Liberty adorned with an Indian headdress. The name of this variety stems from the delicate, knife-like rim that both sides display. This feature is the result of metal being forced between the collar and the dies during striking; the coins were not originally designed with a defined rim. The wire rim on both sides had the potential to interfere with the ejection process, was highly susceptible to abrasions, and also caused stacking problems. These considerations explain why the Mint did not adopt Saint-Gaudens' original design for circulation.
When the original Wire Rim design was found to be impractical and unsatisfactory for normal production, Charles Barber, Chief Engraver of the Mint, made noticeable modifications, particularly to the edge. He was satisfied with the second version, the so-called Rolled Edge variety, and a large number of these were struck in anticipation of placing them in circulation. Correspondence from the Mint indicates $315,000 worth of newly designed Rolled Edge eagl
Auction 408
| Lot: 3602 | Jun 3, 2006
Sold For:
$161,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67 NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1311
| Lot: 4559 | Jan 12, 2020
Sold For:
$114,000.00
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 NGC.
Auction 1329
| Lot: 5150 | Apr 25, 2021
Sold For:
$114,000.00
1907 $20 High Relief, Wire Rim MS67★ NGC.
(PCGS# 9135)
Auction 1175
| Lot: 6326 | Oct 21, 2012
Sold For:
$111,625.00
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