PCGS Slabs 2009 Ultra High Relief $20 and Calls it MS-70 By Numismatic News - February 19,
2009
Collectors
anxiously awaiting delivery of the Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens
$20 gold piece will be pleased to hear that not only are collectors
starting to receive them, but one has already been slabbed
in the pinnacle of condition by the Professional Coin Grading
Service.
The first 2009 Ultra High Relief $20 was certified
by PCGS on Feb. 13. It was graded Mint State-70.
"We were thrilled to examine the first
submitted example of this eagerly anticipated modern masterpiece.
It's one of the finest designs ever created for United States
coinage and a testament to the excellence of the United States
Mint," said Don Willis, President of PCGS, a division
of Collectors Universe, Inc.
The coin was submitted by collector Charles
Camp of Savannah, Ga., who said he was thrilled with the certification:
"I've always been a big admirer of PCGS, and I think
it's a great thing."
In addition to the MS-70 grade, the coin was
given a First-Strike® designation by PCGS and encapsulated
in the company's proprietary TriVue" holder, Willis explained.
"The TriVue" holder not only provides
long-term storage protection, it allows the coin's obverse,
reverse and edges to be easily seen. With the PCGS certification
of authenticity and grade, the value could dramatically increase
over an ungraded, 'raw' coin," said Willis.
The design of the 24-karat, one-ounce Ultra
High Relief gold $20 is based on the famous and popular double
eagle created by renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens
that entered production in 1907. The new coin, though, is
smaller in diameter at 27mm as compared to 34mm for the circulation
coin and much thicker.
"The original 1907 double eagle is considered
by many to be the most beautiful coin ever produced by the
United States. Despite Saint-Gaudens' artistic masterpiece,
the minting process at the time did not allow for mass production
of ultra high relief coins, and his artistic vision was never
fully realized," according to the Mint.
The 2009 version has a similar obverse to
the 1907-dated coins with Liberty personified by a woman striding
forward and a young eagle flying during sunrise on the reverse.
But there are differences: four stars were added to the design
to represent the states added to the Union since 1907 and
the inscription, IN GOD WE TRUST, has been added along with
a small border in the design. The date in Roman numerals,
MMIX, is 2009.