7410

1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim MS65 NGC. The stor

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim MS65 NGC. The stor
<B>1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Rim MS65 NGC.</B></I> The story of the High Relief twenties is well-known to numismatists. President Theodore Roosevelt personally asked famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to rework several of the more uninspired coinage designs that were current in 1905. Over the next two years, in spite of declining health, Saint-Gaudens produced plaster models for the ten dollar and twenty dollar gold pieces. Each of these denominations went through several modifications before working dies were produced within the Mint that led eventually to the production of millions of gold coins. The Flat Rim variant of the High Relief is actually another minor, but significant modification that was made to the High Relief design. To produce each coin, between five and seven blows from a hydraulic press were required to fully bring up the details in the dies. However, it was soon discovered that in the striking process a tiny rim of extruded metal protruded between the die and the collar, producing the so-called Wire Rim variant. This was perceived as a problem by Mint personnel, not as an aesthetic element as it is by collector's today. The answer to the "problem" of the Wire Rim was the creation of the Flat Rim coins, pieces that had no extruded metal on either side. Such pieces are four to five times scarcer than their Wire Rim counterparts. This particular coin shows strong, bold definition throughout and the satiny surfaces are virtually free from any post-striking defects. Rarely seen in Gem condition and an important coin for advanced gold collectors. Population: 19 in 65, 18 finer (2/05).