The MMIX ultra high relief gold double eagle was inspired by the original extremely high relief experimental pieces struck in 1907. Mint Director Edmund Moy commented on several occasions that he wanted the U.S. Mint to right the wrong done to Saint-Gaudens’s design in 1907. He wanted to make this magnificent design available to coin collectors in all its original glory.
The experimental high-relief $20 coin struck on December 22, 1907 was the work of two famous Americans: President Theodore Roosevelt and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The President was a great admirer of ancient Greek coins and wanted to bring similar beauty to the U.S. coinage. He approached saint-Gaudens to redesign the 10 and the 20-dollar coins. For the $20 the sculptor chose an advancing figure of Liberty for the obverse and a flying eagle on the reverse. Chief-Engraver of the U.S. Mint, Charles Barber, resented the new design, partly because the high relief of the coin required a longer striking process, thus only a few of the very high relief pieces were struck in December, 1907. Soon afterwards new dies with a much lower relief were created for this coin; it was issued for circulation from 1907 to 1933. The coin above shows the ultra-high relief. It was a gift from Saint-Gaudens to President Roosevelt. In 1967, this piece was donated to the National Numismatic Collection by Cornelius van Schaak Roosevelt, a nephew of the President.
The design itself was first shown to President Theodore Roosevelt in December 1906. At the time, Roosevelt ordered the Mint to produce experimental examples exactly following the artist’s models. Mint engraver Charles Barber took his job seriously, and although he and Saint-Gaudens despised one another personally, Barber had considerable respect for the sculptor’s artistic talent and reputation. To a remarkable extent, this was accomplished by Barber during the first week of January 1907, with considerable assistance from Henri Weil. The two not only prepared hubs for a normal 32-millimeter diameter double eagle, but another set that were 27-millimeters in diameter – the size of the current $10 gold eagle.
Experimental pieces in both diameters were intended to determine how many blows it took to fully express Saint-Gaudens’ high relief design. Everyone, including Saint-Gaudens, knew that a coin with such high relief could not be struck with one blow from a normal press, but no one knew how many it would take. Barber hoped that the small diameter pieces would allow more of the force of the press to be concentrated and result in fully struck coins with fewer blows.
During the second week of February fifteen small diameter pieces were struck, although we do not know how many blows it took. Each coin was 27-millimeters in diameter but contained the same gold as a $20 coin. The result was a small, very thick coin with a decided “lump-like” feel. As was common, the mint director, George Roberts, took a couple specimens of normal and small diameter experimental pieces back to Washington. He gave one pair to Mint Auditor (and former Director) Robert Preston, and kept one pair for himself after showing the pieces to the President.
About a year later, a new mint director, Frank Leach, learned about the EHR experimental small diameter pieces from Mint Collection Curator, T. Louis Comparette. The Curator, who had no expertise in experimental coinage or law, convinced Director Leach that the small diameter $20 pieces were illegal. This information led Leach to demand the return and destruction of all fifteen pieces. The last one to be returned was reluctantly surrendered by – Charles Barber! (Barber had eight EHR double eagles in his personal collection when he died.)
With all fifteen accounted for, Leach permitted two examples to be kept for the Mint Collection; the rest were melted.
When Director Moy requested Treasury Department permission to strike the modern UHR in .999 fine gold, he focused on the small diameter pieces. These were the one coin from the Saint-Gaudens-Roosevelt collaboration that had never been available to private collectors. Director Moy felt this would be a fitting conclusion to both the Saint-Gaudens designs, and to the modern reuse of coin designs from the “Renaissance of American Coinage” era.
U.S. Mint management and the Philadelphia Mint engraving department used the research book, “Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1909,” as an historical guide to what was accomplished in 1907 and how some of the work was performed. The author had the honor and privilege of discussing some of these matters with Chief Engraver John Mercanti. It was a pleasure to see the research used in such a positive and meaningful manner, and to have made some small contribution to the modern version of this beautiful coin.