$20 St. Gaudens
1907-1933

Mintage:
Ultra High Relief, Roman Numerals: 24
High Relief, Roman Numerals: 11,250
No Motto (1907-1908): 5.3 million
With Motto (1908-1933): 65 million

Designer: Augustus St. Gaudens

Also refer to General Information on US Gold Coins.

In late 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt asked renowned American sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens to redesign the $10 ‘eagle’ and $20 ‘double eagle’. President Roosevelt thought the existing US coins were ugly and wanted American coins to be as beautiful as the coins of ancient Greece. St. Gaudens produced a double eagle with a standing figure of ‘Liberty’ on the obverse and a flying eagle on the reverse. The designs St. Gaudens produced for the eagle and double eagle had substantially higher relief than then-existing coins. (High-relief coins look more like sculptures, while low-relief coins are rather ‘flat’ in appearance.) High-relief coins are more time-consuming to produce, as they require several blows of the coin press, and they do not stack as well as lower-relief coins. In response to these complaints, St. Gauden’s assistant, Henry Hering, lowered the relief slightly, producing the High Relief design. Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber, who had taken over responsibility for completing St. Gaudens’ designs following his death in August 1907, further modified the double eagle’s design by substantially lowering the relief.

The “St. Gaudens” design is regarded as one of America’s most beautiful coins and the obverse was chosen to be the obverse of the “Gold Eagle” bullion coins that were first minted in 1986. Reportedly, Secretary of the Treasury James Baker thought that St. Gauden’s ‘Liberty’ was too fat and directed she be ‘slimmed down.’ ‘Liberty’s’ arms are noticeably thinner on the “Gold Eagle.”

Types: 1) No-motto: Coins minted 1907-1908. President Roosevelt had insisted that “In God We Trust” not appear on the coins because he believed it nearly blasphemous to use God’s name on coins that might be used for immoral or illegal purposes. 2) With-motto: Coins minted 1908-1933, which have the motto “In God We Trust” on the reverse. In 1908 Congress, apparently outraged that the motto had been removed from the coins, insisted on its reinstatement in accordance with the 1865 legislation that directed that the motto be placed on all coins large enough to allow it. Note: coins minted 1907-1911 have 46 stars on the obverse, coins minted 1912-1933 have 48 stars, to mark the admission of New Mexico and Arizona to the United States.

Mints: Minted in Philadelphia (1907-1915, 1920-1929, 1931-1933), Denver (1908-1911, 1913-1914, 1923-1927, 1931) and San Francisco (1908-1911, 1913-1916, 1920, 1922, 1924-1927, 1930). The bulk of the 1927 and 1931 Denver, 1929, 1931, 1932 and 1933 Philadelphia and 1930 San Francisco mintages were melted at the mints in 1933.

Specifications: Size: 34 millimeters; Alloy: 90% gold, 10% copper; Weight: 33.436 grams (30.092 grams or 0.9677 troy oz. of pure gold).

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