High Relief – Wire Edge Variety

In the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned a talented artist, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to design the next $20 gold piece for the United States. The piece offered here was the result—a high relief specimen like no one had seen before in U.S. coinage. It’s a beautiful design with both Ms. Liberty and the bald eagle proudly standing out above the smooth fields. The wire rim, caused by the massive pressure used to stamp the coin, also adds to the coin’s distinctive design.

At the AU-55 condition level, this honey-wheat-colored gold piece looks magnificent. Both sides display minute contact marks and the high points don’t have visible signs of wear. The surfaces are radiant, with all devices heavily accentuated against the fields. This High Relief is premium quality for the grade. It looks as nice as some AU-58 pieces we’ve seen, and even some of the lower-grade Mint State pieces.

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