LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2007 Jan (FUN) Heritage Signature Coin #422  / 

3672

1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 NGC. Breen-7094. The Wire Rim p

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:65,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 2.00 USD
1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 NGC. Breen-7094. The Wire Rim p
<B>1907 $10 Wire Rim MS66 <img border='0' src='http://www.heritagecoins.com/images/star.gif' width=10 height=10> NGC.</B></I> Breen-7094. The Wire Rim pieces are technically patterns (Judd-1774), as they were never intended for circulation. The Breen <I>Complete Encyclopedia</B></I> (1988) says that "Almost all survivors are UNCs. distributed to officials and VIPs." Designed with triangular dots for periods and a "knife" or wire rim, these rare pieces show another distinction: Breen adds that " Saint Gaudens's standing-eagle device is splendid in its original form, reminiscent of late Egyptian and early Roman work at its best, though it is seen in untampered form only in the rare experimental pieces <B>reen-7094 to -7096 ." The eagle treads upon an olive branch and strikes a truculent, powerful pose, with an aggressive expression that says it is competent to deal with any threat.<BR> The obverse design is more compromised. Were it not for President Theodore Roosevelt's insistence that Augustus Saint-Gaudens place an unlikely Indian war bonnet on the female head, this design would likely be called the Nike Head or Victory Head: It is based on "General Sherman Led by Victory," a bronze statue at the entrance to New York's Central Park that took Saint-Gaudens 11 years to complete.<BR> Doubt lingers as to whether these pieces, with a mintage of about 500 examples, were struck in proof format or not. A February 1907 letter from Mint Superintendent Frank Landis, cited in Taxay's <I>U.S. Mint and Coinage,</B></I> mentions 50 proof pieces, but Breen's proof <I>Encyclopedia</B></I> calls any purported examples "so rare in proof as to be controversial." The more recent Garrett-Guth gold <I>Encyclopedia</B></I> makes no mention of confirmed proof examples, citing the Smithsonian's finest piece as an "MS-66." Our own experience with this issue also leads us to doubt that true proof examples exist, and neither NGC nor PCGS has certified any proofs. The present specimen is one of 30 MS66 coins currently certified at NGC and PCGS combined, which have graded 11 pieces finer (10/06).<BR> This is an absolutely amazing coin. The surfaces have a thick, frosted finish, quite unlike the bright satiny luster usually seen. Also, Wire Rim tens usually have a bright yellow-gold finish, but this piece has rich reddish-orange coloration. Each side is also remarkably well preserved--one could literally count the number of contact marks on one hand that are present on this piece. While finer examples have been certified, it is difficult to imagine a coin with stronger eye appeal, thicker mint luster, and fewer obvious marks.<BR><I>From The Freedom Collection.</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coin/Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
Sign In to Bookmark Lot