The 1907 Double Eagle Gold Coin: A Masterpiece For Coin Collections

Every avid coin collector has that one coin he feels he must own

. Sometimes that coin is completely out of reach, mainly due to financial costs. Other times they are just plain out of reach--on display in museums, viewed as true pieces of art. One such coin that any collector would love to add to his coin collection is the MCMVII (1907) Proof Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Coin. Not only is it a mouthful to say, it's an eyeful to take in! Surveys done among numismatists have consistently rated the piece as America's most beautiful coin design--quite the honor!

The coin itself has an interesting history. A double eagle coin, in general, is a gold coin with a denomination of $20. The first double eagle coin was minted in 1849, right around the time of the Gold Rush. Two were produced initially as proof of their creation. One finds its home in the Smithsonian Institution and the other was given to Treasury Secretary William M. Meredith. It was later sold with his estate but its present location remains unknown. (Hopefully it is in the hands of a worthy coin collector.) The coin saw regular production up until 1933.

In 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to Secretary of Treasury, "I think the state of our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness. Would it be possible...to employ a man like Saint-Gaudens to give us a coinage which would have some beauty?" Saint-Gaudens was regarded as one of the best American sculptors of the time, despite not having great experience with the Mint. The task of creating this amazing coin was not easy thanks to Saint-Gaudens' declining health and the difficulty of creating a high relief design. He actually died in 1907 after designing it, but before the design was finalized.

The design has an image of Miss Liberty in the figure of Victory on one side. She strides forward holding a torch and a palm branch. The U.S. Capitol is seen in the distance. On the reverse there is an eagle in flight. Only 20 coins were struck from the Philadelphia Mint and were given to the President and his dignitaries. Later that year the coin was modified to a lower relief, with a little over 12,300 made.

Most of the original 20 coins are not in an owner's coin collection. Instead, they are found in museums. One is on display at the Smithsonian. Recently, however, one was put up for auction at the Stack's Bowers Galleries. The bids started at $2,125,000 and it eventually sold for nearly $3 million. The new owners stated, "It combines all the elements of rarity, desirability, artistic design, and historical importance." The new owners are more than pleased to add quite possibly the most beautiful coin to their coin collection.

by: Mark Etinger

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