1914-S $20 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle, PCGS MS63 CAC. This sparkling 1914-S St. Gaudens Double Eagle, in an OGH, shimmers with bright mint luster throughout. Some light surface abrasions on both sides keep it from a higher mint state grade, which is confirmed by its CAC sticker. The strike is average on the obverse and stronger on the reverse, where every design detail is sharp and clear.

President Theodore Roosevelt had a vision of a totally redesigned United States coinage. He spoke of his “pet crime” to bypass the Mint Engraver Charles Barber whom he felt was not particularly creative. Now that he was president and could act on his feelings, he recruited Augustus Saint-Gaudens to aid him in this new project. The two had met in 1905 when Roosevelt chose Saint-Gaudens to design his inaugural medal for his second term as president. Roosevelt realized that Saint-Gaudens shared his admiration for the coinage of ancient Greece. He also loved the inaugural medal. The artist accepted Roosevelt’s challenge to redesign America’s coinage despite the fact that his health was in decline.

Because of its large mintage, the 1914-S double eagle makes an excellent type coin. This one would fit nicely into a type set of Twentieth Century coins or a type set of gold coins.