2017 1-oz Silver Double Eagle Indian High Relief NGC PF69UC

A Turning Point in American Numismatics!

When President Theodore Roosevelt embarked on a tour of the Smithsonian in 1905, he did not realize that that tour would eventually lead to a revolution in American numismatics. As he admired ancient Roman and Greek coins in high relief, though, he touched an American coin in his vest and couldn’t help but curse when he recognized the difference. He decided on the spot that it was time for a change, and that is precisely what he brought about. Specifically, he wanted American coins in high relief to rival their European counterparts, which were widely used around the world at the time.

To achieve his new goal, he decided to enlist the help of a friend of his, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens was highly acclaimed at the time as an outstanding designer, and the two collaborated on the effort. Saint-Gaudens originally wanted to use the obverse design presented on this piece for the Double Eagle, but the President and the Mint overruled him and chose instead to use this design on the $10 piece while using the design that to this day bears his name on the $20 Double Eagle. At the time, just one Double Eagle size piece was struck with this design, and even that was not in sufficiently high relief to satisfy Saint-Gaudens. Thanks to modern minting technology, though, we have realized his vision!

• VIRTUALLY FLAWLESS MS69 – This piece has a minuscule imperfection or two, but it appears perfect to the naked eye.
• HIGH RELIEF PROOF – Few mints are capable of producing high relief proofs, yet the Mayer Mint did so successfully with this issue.
• A JOINT PROJECT WITH THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION – The National Park Foundation and the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site were both involved in this project.
• PROTECTIVE POUCH AND CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY - Your coin will arrive with a Certificate of Authenticity and a protective pouch to prevent damage.
• A VALUABLE PIECE – At least one expert has estimated the value of the original strike at a minimum of $20 million.
• REVIVING A LEGACY – We have now created a piece that improves upon the original strike and presents you with the piece that the artisan who designed it envisioned.

This design was part of a new era in American numismatics, one that led the United States to its current position as a world leader in coin production. While the design did not appear on the coin that Saint-Gaudens hoped it would, it paved its own path into American numismatic history on the $10 piece. Today, this GovMint.com exclusive offers you the chance to hold what Augustus Saint-Gaudens envisioned over a century ago. So stunning and historic is this design that some estimates put the value of the single original strike of it at over $20 million. Today, you can own a piece with that design much more affordably, but the opportunity will not be around for long!