Of the High Relief Saint-Gaudens double eagles that we have handled over the years, very few can be graded finer than Choice Mint State by today s standards. While this is an exceptionally attractive issue even in lower grades, only in Gem Mint State are the surfaces both smooth and vibrant enough to truly showcase the beauty of the design. Fortunately for our bidders, this is just such a Gem Mint State coin and it is a premium one at that. The satiny deep gold surfaces are exceptionally smooth on both the obverse and the reverse. The devices are fully impressed with the bold, razor sharp definition for which this issue is known. Expertly produced, carefully preserved, and very attractive, this coin stands as a monument to the artistic achievement of Augustus Saint-Gaudens High Relief double eagle. There were great difficulties rendering Augustus Saint-Gaudens original concept into a workable circulating coin. Theodore Roosevelt urged the Mint to press forward with production of a workable high relief model that would take only one blow to render the design properly. Unfortunately, the famed sculptor s health was declining rapidly and the task to make these adjustments fell to his assistant, Henry Hering. Saint-Gaudens himself would never see his design become a circulating coin. It was not until September 28 that Hering finally delivered a new set of models to the Philadelphia Mint, but even with Hering s adjustments to the original models, mass production continued to encounter issues. Mint staff found that each coin required between three to five strikes per coin, plus each had to be hand inspected after each strike. This labor-intensive process inhibited high speed production. It was also discovered that during striking metal would be pushed where the coin s edge and collar met, if the collar was not tightened sufficiently. Even the tiniest misalignment of the dies would form a "fin" or Wire Rim. To resolve this issue, a second collar was introduced in mid-December that largely eliminated the Wire Rim. However, the production process remained too slow to be economically feasible. Only 12,367 coins were struck for circulation in the High Relief format, with two-thirds of those coins bearing the Wire Rim. It is believed that 4,000 Flat Rim specimens were struck. Presently the Wire Rim coins outnumber the Flat Rim coins roughly two to one, a ratio consistent with the estimated production figures. The Flat Rim double eagles are in perennial demand by numismatists as the closest to Saint-Gaudens original concept. Here we offer a glorious example of one of the greatest coin designs in all of numismatics. ， Est. $30,000-$50,000
