The 1907 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle from the Saint-Gaudens' Estate will be displayed as part of the Tyrant Collection at the 2025 ANA World's Fair of Money. This will be only the third public appearance of this historic numismatic rarity since it sold a decade ago for $2,115,000.
-Garrett
The 1907 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle, designed by acclaimed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and later presented to his widow on behalf of President Theodore Roosevelt, will be displayed at the American Numismatic Association 2025 Oklahoma City World's Fair of Money® (www.WorldsFairofMoney.com).
On loan courtesy of California collector Dan O'Dowd, owner of the legendary Tyrant Collection (www.TheTyrantCollection.com), this historic, famous coin is graded PCGS Proof 68 and will be a highlight in the ANA's Museum Showcase exhibits at the convention, August 19-23.
Described by many experts as America's most beautiful coin design, O'Dowd acquired the famous $20 denomination gold piece for $2,115,000 in 2015. It is now insured for $5 million, and this will be only the third time it has been publicly displayed in a decade.
"I am excited about this coin," stated O'Dowd.
"It is not only the most beautiful coin America has ever produced, but it also rivals anything created by any other country. Saint-Gaudens admired ancient Greek style and wanted to create something America would be proud of after President Roosevelt asked him to help redesign early 20th-century U.S. coinage," explained O'Dowd.
The coin has inverted edge lettering of the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM and the designer's initials, ASG.
Saint-Gaudens died in 1907, and his estate received this Ultra High Relief in 1908.
"This is a great numismatic rarity," stated Ira Goldberg, CEO of Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Inc. in Los Angeles, California. Goldberg is among those who have assisted O'Dowd in building the Tyrant Collection of U.S., world, and ancient coins, which is often described as the world's most valuable rare coin collection in private hands.
"The United States Mint produced less than two dozen 1907 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle patterns. It required multiple strikes in the coining press to bring up the design, and the coins could not be stacked on top of each other because the relief was so high. The relief was subsequently reduced so the coins could be mass-produced for circulation," explained Goldberg.
This example of the 1907 Ultra High Relief was retained by Saint-Gaudens' widow, Augusta, and then inherited by their son, Homer. It was loaned by the family to the American Numismatic Society in New York for decades until 1950, then privately sold in the 1970s. O'Dowd purchased the coin at the Heritage Auctions Florida United Numismatists auction in January 2015.
The coin has rarely been seen in public since an exhibition in 1914. After adding it to the Tyrant Collection in early 2015, O'Dowd displayed it only twice until now: at the 2021 ANA Chicago World's Fair of Money and the February 2022 Long Beach Expo.
For additional information about the Tyrant Collection, visit www.TheTyrantCollection.com. Additional information about the ANA 2025 Oklahoma City World's Fair of Money convention is available at www.WorldsFairofMoney.com.
Wayne Homren, Editor
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