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Saint-Gaudens'
and President Roosevelt's Original Double Eagle Design
Finally Available to Collectors
Few coin
collectors would question the designation of the Saint-Gaudens
Double Eagle as one of the world's most beautiful coins. But
this design was actually sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens second
choice. Up to now, all that remained of Saint-Gaudens' original
vision was a plaster model in the National Park Service's Saint-Gaudens
National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire. But now collectors
can finally see that nearly century old model transformed into
a magnificent gold coin. One is in the permanent collection
of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, and fewer than
100 pieces are now available to collectors.
The design
is similar to that used on the first 1907 high-relief Saint-Gaudens
$20 gold pieces, with the dramatic addition of a crown of
feathers and wings on Ms. Liberty. In a letter to President
Theodore Roosevelt, Saint-Gaudens wrote that his design would
feature "some kind of a (possibly winged) figure of Liberty
striding energetically forward as if on a mountain top."
In response, the President suggested that Saint-Gaudens design
a distinctively American Liberty with an Indian feather headdress.
Now, nearly 100 years later, the original design concept of
Roosevelt and Saint-Gaudens has finally been realized in pure
gold.
The winged
Liberty obverse is combined with a majestic eagle, modeled
after the national bird on Theodore Roosevelt's special inaugural
medal (1905) that was sketched by Saint-Gaudens and sculpted
by A. A. Weinman (creator of the "Mercury" Dime
and Walking Liberty Half Dollar). This design was originally
envisioned for the reverse of the $20 gold coin, but was actually
used for the $10 coins.
Each of
these Winged Liberty coins has a precious metal content of
1 troy oz. of pure (999 fine) gold. They are issued by Liberia
with a face value of Hundred Dollars. Each coin is certified
by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) as Proof-69
Deep Cameo. The frosted designs of this penultimate grade
contrast with blazing mirrorlike fields, to produce a gold
piece that can certainly vie for the title of "One of
the World's Most Beautiful Coins."
Out of
the tiny authorized mintage of only 999 Saint-Gaudens Winged
Liberty Hundred Dollar coins, only a few are still available
for $595 each from the distributor PandaAmerica, 3460 Torrance
Blvd., Suite 100, Torrance, CA 90503. For credit card orders
call (800) 472-6327 or e-mail info@pandaamerica.com. Add $15
per order for shipping and insurance. Click
here to shop online.
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