In reality here, as in all examples of my father's ideal sculpture, little or no resemblance can be traced to any model; since he was always quick to reject the least taint of what he called 'personality' in such instances.". The oft-quoted text of the letter is repeated here: I think our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness. Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial. Saint-Gaudens doesn't explicitly say that this was the reason he wanted to use it, and may have been unaware of this technical benefit of switching to the Liberty profile. Visit to see edge, weight, diameter, auction records, price guide values and more for this coin. He later admitted that he was "scared blue" at the thought of spending his last days fighting Charles Barber over what would be the ultimate insult to the vain chief engraver: the first coin in U.S. history that was not designed at the U.S. Mint. Today, the Saint-Gaudens double eagle is generally hailed as the finest coin ever produced by the United States. Fricker, Donna and Jonathan. December 13, 2000. Scalpers were demanding $30 or more per coin on the resale market, while the entire mintage of High Relief coins quickly disappeared as souvenirs. Early in the design process for the eagle and double eagle, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and President Theodore Roosevelt decided not to include "In God We Trust" on either coin. July/July 1985: vol. 1913 - Barber's "V nickel" design (perhaps his best design) was replaced by the "Buffalo" nickel design of famed Western sculptor and former Saint-Gaudens assistant James Earle Fraser. National Gallery of Art. Whether it was displaying an inner strength, as exhibited by his Standing Lincoln monument in Chicago, or the active power of a subject caught in motion, as demonstrated by marching soldiers of his Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, his works displayed a dynamism that few others could match. This was the design from the abandoned one-cent coin. These went to Roosevelt, Preston, and Roberts. The sculptors invited in addition to de Francisci were Robert Aitken, Chester Beach, Victor D. Brenner, John Flanagan, Henry Hering, Hermon MacNeil, and Robert Tait McKenzie. 36 no.3 October 1977: 175. Cooper Union Alumni Association. Francisci had been taught by or assisted no fewer than four famous sculptors who had learned their trade under the master: James Earle Fraser, Adolph Weinman, Philip Martiny, and Hermon MacNeil. This was the latest in medallic technology, and was what the big French engraving houses were using. The $20 Saint-Gaudens double eagle is one of the few coins known by the name of its creator. Naturally, Henry Hering was appalled when he saw the coin. This resulted in the dates quickly wearing away, necessitating a design change to lower that part of the coins. Saint-Gaudens carved countless hundreds of cameos between the ages of thirteen and twenty-five, to the point where he could carve a lion's head cameo without thinking. Instead of the normal 34 millimeter dies, he cut 27 millimeter dies from Saint-Gaudens's models, to match the diameter of the $10 gold eagle. After the inevitable requests for changes, Weinman made new models, and the cycle repeated. This inability to let go of a project inevitably led to deadlines being missed by months or even years. For example, throughout the long contest extending over several decades on the free coinage question, the existence of this motto on the coins was a constant source of jest and ridicule, and this was unavoidable. While Barber would produce some commemorative coins and medals late in life that were fairly well-received, it is his mediocre earlier work and vindictiveness toward other mint engravers and outside artists that he is remembered for. The coin is named after its designer, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who designed the obverse and reverse. Augustus Saint-Gaudens American 1905-7, gold coin 1911 Not on view Having proclaimed the coinage produced by the United States Mint uninspired and commonplace, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Saint-Gaudens to redesign the ten- and twenty-dollar gold coins and the one-cent piece. Saint-Gaudens double eagle - Wikipedia A second run of Ultra High Relief double eagles from the first model were struck between March and April 1907, while the new coin models were being reduced and dies cut. He held the conviction that a sculptor is judged not only by his client, or even by the public, but by history. Barber slightly lowered the relief on the coin, and added a raised rim. This combination allowed the coins to stack properly. Instead of referring to ancient Roman sculpture to improve his skills as were everyone around him, Saint-Gaudens turned to the more lifelike work of Renaissance masters for inspiration. Saint-Gaudens, Homer, ed. Moran, Michael F. "A Medal for Edith." Like Saint-Gaudens, Fraser insured that his allegorical figures did not portray one single person. It is a composition of Teresa's face, the profile from Saint-Gaudens's 1905 gold eagle, and de Francisci's stylization of the results to present an allegorical image of Liberty that was not a depiction of an actual person. Maine Antique Digest on Twitter: "Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907 His controversial intaglio Indian Head design was the first US coin to feature a realistic Native American. Coin and medal designs are made larger than the coins themselves, so that the artists can easily work on the details. President Roosevelt felt that Saint-Gaudens was the man who could help him do so. It was only after Roosevelt promised to intercede with the mint whenever necessary that Saint-Gaudens agreed to rework the nation's coins. This was actually a valid observation: Saint-Gaudens had admired that design as a kid growing up on the Lower East Side in New York. Place of Birth: Dublin, Ireland Date of Birth: March 1, 1848 Place of Death: Cornish, NH Date of Death: August 3, 1907 Place of Burial: Cornish, NH Cemetery Name: The Temple, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park While the numismatic world and most of the public consider the 1907 Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle the most beautiful American coin ever made, the sculptor himself wasn't impressed. The wire rims were not the only problem with this initial run of Saint-Gaudens eagles. Lot #4412, 2015 January 512 FUN U.S. The ugliest, most widespread criticism of the new coins, however, was the absence of the phrase "In God We Trust.". The new year of 1906 found both men in a jovial mood. Therefore, the initial double eagle models were sent to France in the summer of 1906 to be reduced to the proper size while retaining the details of the original models. The dies of the No Periods eagle prepared by Barber retained most of the details of the plaster models, with only a slight weakness on the high parts of either side: the hair curls on the Liberty profile, and the highest parts of the eagle's left/top wing. We will try it anyway, so you go ahead Of course he thinks I am a mere crack-brained lunatic on the subject, but he said with great kindness there there was always a certain number of gold coins that had to be stored up in vaults, and that there was no earthly objection to having these coins as artistic as the Greeks could desire. Saint-Gaudens was happy to have one less phrase cluttering his design, and Roosevelt considered inscribing the name of the Lord on filthy money to be sacrilege. Not only did this prevent the coins from stacking properly, the coin became underweight when pieces of the fin broke off. On February 21st, Saint-Gaudens requested sample coins in various stages of completion, as well as a complete coin. As one of the duties of the Treasury Department is overseeing the minting of the nation's coins, Secretary Salmon P. Chase was the target of much of these efforts. Between every strike, the coin had to be removed from the press, heated until it glowed, then dipped in a weak nitric acid solution, so the metal was soft and clean enough. Mint Director Henry Linderman had recently hired Morgan as an engraver due to his dissatisfaction with the quality of the work by both William and Charles Barber. Visit to see edge, weight, diameter, auction records, price guide values and more for this coin. No president had ever taken an active interest in the nation's coinage, and neither Mint Director Robert Preston nor Charles Barber knew what to make of the scrutiny bearing down on them from the human hurricane at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As Saint-Gaudens's condition continued to worsen, work on the cent was abandoned in favor of getting a gold coin design that the mint could use on a regular coining press.