1907 High Relief (1907 $20 High Relief) Flat Rim, NGC MS63. This lovely 1907 Saint-Gaudens High Relief Double Eagle is bright and lustrous. A couple of minor ticks hidden in the drapery and the eagles wings keep this coin from a higher mint state grade. The strike is above average on the obverse with some weakness on the Capitol building. Similarly, the reverse shows the usual weakness on the rays of the sun in the center and right side below the eagle.

Most researchers and contemporary collectors divide the 1907 High Relief double eagles into two subtypes, the wire rim and flat rim varieties. Both were made from the same dies; however, the excess metal caused a partial rim or flange to appear, mainly on the obverse of the first 8,000 coins that were struck. This rim was actually a minting error in that it caused some coins to get stuck in the coining chamber. Mint Director Leach addressed the problem by obtaining planchets that were milled differently. The pieces struck from the new planchets yielded better results. The remaining 4,000 High Relief pieces are known as the Flat Rim variety, such as the present piece.

The Augustus Saint-Gaudens double eagle was struck in 1907. It uses Roman numerals for the date and is made in high relief. Clearly Saint-Gaudens was very influenced by the coinage of ancient Greece. He designed this coin at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt, who thought the contemporary designs were atrociously hideous. Roosevelts longtime desire was to free the national coinage from dullness and give it beauty and dignity. Unfortunately Saint-Gaudens was ill, and he never got to see his magnificent double eagle in production. It was left to the jealous Charles Barber to complete Saint-Gaudens task.

Despite Barbers objections, Roosevelt ordered the new high relief dies placed into use. Because of the relief, each striking required five blows. The coins were criticized by the banking industry because they wouldnt stack. Many had a raised knife rim or flange, known as a wire edge. Barber seized on this as another reason to lower the relief on the coin.

In order to provide a larger surface on which to work, Saint-Gaudens placed the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM on the edge of the coin. In 1908 IN GOD WE TRUST was added despite President Roosevelts objections.

While these high relief double eagles are not particularly rare, collector demand has always made it one of the more difficult to obtain in mint condition.