Value of 1907 High Relief St. Gaudens $20 Gold

Value of 1907 High Relief St. Gaudens $20 Gold

Since all examples of the 1907 High Relief St. Gaudens received three impressions from the dies on the Mints medal press to fully bring up the high relief design, the typical survivor exhibits razor sharp definition. Softness of strike, when present at all, is usually extremely minor and confined to isolated peripheral areas and/or over the highest points of Libertys portrait and the eagle. Luster is usually outstanding and it is typically of a vibrant satin to matte-like texture. This issue has above average surface preservation and most examples are smooth relative to the assigned grade. There are also some truly spectacular examples known with virtually pristine surfaces.
More than 5,000 examples of this historic, beautiful and extremely popular issue exist, perhaps as many as 6,000. The vast majority of survivors are Mint State, coins that were acquired by collectors and other interested parties at the time of issue and set aside for their novelty and significance. Examples that have been certified MS-60 through MS-64 appear in the market on a regular basis, especially Choice Uncirculated pieces in MS-63 and MS-64. Gems are much scarcer, although the popularity of this issue means that such examples are offered for sale several times a year. The High Relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle is very scarce to rare any finer, the highest graded at PCGS is a phenomenal MS-69. The subject of whether some examples of this issue qualify as Proofs has been debated by experts, confused by the lack of a regular issue mintage for the Proof High Relief and the fact that all examples were produced with extra care, as above. Indeed, while NGC has graded a couple of hundred as Proofs, PCGS does not recognize Proofs of this issue. Mint records do not mention the production of Proofs.