1907 $20 High Relief (1907 High Relief)  Wire Rim , NGC MS65. The central devices, Liberty and the flying eagle, bask in the subdued mint luster of this gem, 1907 High Relief Wire Rim Double Eagle. There are one or two wispy marks on the coin that probably keep it from an even higher mint state grade. The strike is above average for both sides with slight weakness seen in the central obverse and the suns rays on the reverse.

The double eagle was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It is considered by some to be the most beautiful coin of all time and Saint-Gaudens most famous work. Certainly numismatists feel that the double eagle is his most important work. Struck in high relief, Liberty is seen striding towards the viewer as the sun rises behind her. She holds a torch, symbol of enlightenment , in her right hand an olive branch, symbol of peace, in her left. On her right at the bottom is the Capitol building. LIBERTY is above her head, and she is surrounded by forty-six stars, one for each state in the Union at the time. Saint-Gaudens took the figure of liberty from his statue of Victory, which is part of the Sherman monument in New York City. The reverse of the coin shows a magnificent eagle in flight to the left above the sun. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and TWENTY DOLLARS form a double arc above it.

There are two varieties, the flat rim and the knife-rim, which are also called the flat edge and the wire edge double eagle. The wire edge is actually a rim or flange around half or more of one or both sides of the coin. It was made when metal was squeezed between the collar and the die. Most researchers believe that the flange was made unintentionally since it caused problems in ejecting the coins as they were struck.

President Theodore Roosevelt thought the coins of the era were unattractive. He wanted them to instead embody our national identity and growing importance on the world stage. The United States of America, a bold experiment in liberty and representative democracy, had not only succeeded, it had come of age; and its coins should reflect that. Coins were one of the most visible, tangible representations of a country. Saint-Gaudens was a renowned sculptor and an artist who shared the Presidents vision for expressing Americas national identity visually through art. He was a towering figure in the sphere of American fine arts. Widely acclaimed as the nation's preeminent sculptor, he was also a man of eloquence and influence who dominated the art world of his day.

The double eagle is considered by many to be the most beautiful coin of all time and Saint-Gaudens most famous work. Certainly numismatists feel that the double eagle is his most important work. When Roosevelt saw the first double eagles, he knew that Saint-Gaudens had created a masterpiece. What he could not have known was that, in a supreme irony, his cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt would recall all privately owned gold including many of the Saint-Gaudens twenties.

Gem high relief double eagles are eagerly sought by collectors and investors. It is a case of demand far exceeding supply. In its population report, NGC shows 78 wire rim pieces in MS65 with 58 better.