1908-S Saint Gaudens - 1908-S $20 St. Gaudens, NGC AU55. This Choice AU 1908-S Saint-Gaudens double eagle is the first low-mintage piece of the series. The coin shows satiny luster within protected areas and a strong strike. There are full details on Libertys bosom, the Capitol building, the eagles feathers, and the tops of the wings. The surfaces are original and clean for the grade with no notable abrasion marks or other distractions. Just a touch of wear on its highest points keeps this lovely piece from a Mint State grade.
 
 In 1908 IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the reverse of the double eagle above the rising sun. President Theodore Roosevelt had been opposed to the motto because he felt that considering how a coin could be used, it was blasphemous to have the name of God on it. Coins could fall on the floor and be stepped on. They could be used for gambling or prostitution.  Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the designer, agreed and the two of them planned the double eagle with no motto. In fact the mintages of the first year and half of the second had no motto. However, Congress disagreed and ordered all coins to adhere to the law that was passed in 1865. In the early part of the Twentieth Century, those who opposed having Gods name on the coinage were probably thought of as anarchists and/or Bolsheviks. Of course, Congress was more concerned with public opinion than the First Amendments principle of separation of church and state, and so the motto was mandated.
The original design of Saint-Gaudens double eagle shows a full figure of standing Liberty. She wears a loose, flowing gown that allows her left leg to be exposed as she rests it on a rock. In her right hand she carries a long torch and in her left, an olive branch. Behind her are the rays of a rising sun. To the left of her right foot there is a small Capitol building, and to the right of her left ankle is the date. She is encircled by forty-eight stars, one for each state in the Union at the time of issue. The edge is lettered E PLURIBUS UNUM, divided by stars. The reverse shows a large eagle, reminiscent of Gobrechts, flying towards the left over a stylized rising sun. Some of the suns rays touch the opposite rim. IN GOD WE TRUST is on the circular edge of the sun. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc at the top of the coin. Just beneath the legend is the denomination, TWENTY DOLLARS. All of the words in the legends on the reverse are separated by dots.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens first commission was for a statue of Admiral Farragut in Madison Square Park in New York City. He also did statues of Abraham Lincoln, Civil War General John A. Logan, and a special statue of General Sherman let by Victory, which is at the entrance to New Yorks Central Park. Much of his work was done designing decorative art for architectural firms with whom he worked.  In 1900 Saint-Gaudens moved to his summer home in Cornish, New Hampshire. A group of artists joined him there, including Bela Lyon Pratt, his former student and future designer of the new quarter and half eagles. In 1907 Saint-Gaudens died of stomach cancer just after he created the beautiful high relief models for the new eagle and double eagle coins at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt. Saint-Gaudens had earlier designed Roosevelts second inaugural medal, and the two had become friends.