The United States Mint has announced that the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coins are in production, and will be available January 22, 2009 for coin collectors.
Treasury Secretary Paulson has approved some new elements to the coin to signify changes since 1907. There will be 50 stars on the obverse side of the coin, since the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii have been added. The inscription, “In God We Trust” will also be placed in the same position as 1908.
The mint provides some interesting information regarding the Saint-Gaudens design:
“Maintaining the full artistic integrity of the Saint-Gaudens design was an arduous undertaking in 1907. The United States Mint’s first attempt-a 34-millimeter ultra-high relief coin with Roman numerals-required the coins to be ‘squeezed’ into a press and annealed numerous times. The coining process was impractical for mass production, and approximately 19 coins of this variety are known to exist. These coins are now mostly in private ownership.
The United States Mint’s second attempt to produce Saint-Gaudens’ design-a 27 millimeter, ultra-high relief coin with Roman numerals-was in fact two $10 Gold Eagle planchets melded together. The resulting coins were twice as thick. The United States Mint had no authority to strike coins of this specification in 1907, so it melted all but two or perhaps three of these coins.
The United States Mint’s third attempt-a high-relief, 34-millimeter coin with Roman numerals-produced a coin with reduced relief that required less metal flow to fill the design and was more practical for mass production. Approximately 12,000 coins were made for collection. Later, in 1907, an additional 361,000 coins with Arabic numerals and a lower relief were produced for circulation.
None of the 1907 variants bore the inscription, “In God We Trust.” The inscription, added in 1908, appears on the coin’s reverse directly above the sun. Production of the Saint-Gaudens $20 Gold Double Eagle continued until 1932. Production of the 1933 $20 Gold Double Eagle ceased, and only one was ever lawfully issued – some 70 years later.”
The 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coins are available in our inventory now!
