1907-2019 NPF 1/10-oz CuNi Saint-Gaudens One Cent Antiqued Medal w/1909 Lincoln Cent XF

The Cent That Almost Was

When President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt first met famed American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1901, he was immediately impressed and hailed him as a “very great sculptor.” Four years later Roosevelt selected Saint-Gaudens to design his 1905 inaugural medal and then tapped him to do a complete overhaul on the country’s coinage. The rest is history resulting in some of the most beautiful American coins ever produced.

A Tribute To The Genius Of Saint-Gaudens

But while Saint-Gaudens was busy redesigning America’s coinage, he faced an unbeatable challenge: his own failing health. Though he managed to finish new $10 and $20 designs before his death in 1907, the rest were left to plaster models and sketches. That includes his design for a new one cent coin. After his death in August 1907, the $10 and $20 gold coins were issued as a tribute to his genius. But the actual striking of his last coin design — a Bronze Cent featuring a masterful depiction of Lady Liberty with a wreath of laurel in her hair — never happened. Until now.

Officially Licensed By The National Park Foundation

In this two-piece set you’ll get a tenth-ounce copper-nickel medal that displays Saint-Gaudens’ intended one-cent design in all its glory paired with a 1909 Lincoln Cent that was issued instead. Though not a legal-tender coin, this commemorative medal is officially licensed by the National Park Foundation (NPF) in conjunction with the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. It also comes with a unique antiqued finish that lends the piece a classic aged look and appearance as if it had actually circulated more than a century ago. Antique finishes like this are typically applied by hand, meaning that no two medals are exactly alike.

This incredible medal beautifully captures the genius of Saint-Gaudens in a way the master himself could have only dreamed of. The obverse features a profile of Lady Liberty wearing a wreath of laurel leaves — a profile later given a feathered headdress and used for the $10 Gold Indian. The reverse displays the words ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircled by laurel leaves above the dual dates of 1907 and 2019. At 19 mm in diameter, it’s the same size a penny!

Vintage Penny Completes This Two-Piece Set

In addition, the 1909 Lincoln Cent will come in nice Extremely Fine (XF) condition. When you place them side by side it’s interesting to see how different the two coins are from one another. Just imagine what our pennies would look like today if Saint-Gaudens’ original design had been used instead of Victor D. Bremer’s iconic design of Abraham Lincoln.

Hold “the coin that never was” in your hands with this special 1907-2019 Last Coin of Saint-Gaudens Tenth-Ounce CuNi One Cent Antiqued Medal. It’s an absolute must-have for any Saint-Gaudens collection!