Afternoon everyone……
Today will be my final installment of the “Stackers Twelve Days of Christmas”.
In case you are new to this or maybe want to join in on the festivities. Here is how it works….
Each day you post a gift that you would like to receive for Christmas. It needs to be precious metal related to qualify. The items can be something you’d like from our silvergoldstackers Secret Santa. Or they could also be something that you really truly wish was a possible gift.
So……
On the twelfth day of Christmas. I’m looking to add a very historic coin to the United States and even worldwide. This is the “Holy Grail” of gold coinage. The Saint-Gaudens double eagle.
Of course being the collector that I am. I would like a very nice example of this coin. Most of these coins were not used and were put away luckily. So really nice graded examples are not overly expensive considering.
Here is some information on the coin:
The Saint-Gaudens double eagle is a twenty-dollar gold coin, or double eagle, produced by the United States Mint from 1907 to 1933. The coin is named after its designer, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who designed the obverse and reverse. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful of U.S. coins.
In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt sought to beautify American coinage, and proposed Saint-Gaudens as an artist capable of the task. Although the sculptor had poor experiences with the Mint and its chief engraver, Charles E. Barber, Saint-Gaudens accepted Roosevelt's call. The work was subject to considerable delays, due to Saint-Gaudens's declining health and difficulties because of the high relief of his design. Saint-Gaudens died in 1907, after designing the eagleand double eagle, but before the designs were finalized for production.
After several versions of the design for the double eagle proved too difficult to strike, Barber modified Saint-Gaudens's design, lowering the relief so the coin could be struck with only one blow. When the coins were finally released, they proved controversial as they lacked the words "In God We Trust", and Congress intervened to require the motto's use. The coin was minted, primarily for use in international trade, until 1933. The 1933 double eagle is among the most valuable of U.S. coins, with the sole example currently known to be in private hands selling in 2002 for $7,590,020.
Here is what I’m looking for….
