Saint-Gaudens double eagles are regarded by many collectors and numismatic historians as among the most beautiful coins the U.S. Mint ever produced. It is arguably the centerpiece of the Renaissance of American Coinage, the wholesale redesign of U.S. coinage that took place in the first decades of the 20th century. Its namesake, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, was a prominent sculptor who designed many public monuments around the United States.
The initial High Relief format in which the coins were struck made both their production and use in commerce infeasible. Multiple blows from the coining press were required to bring up the design and the coins did not stack well. President Roosevelt, whose zeal for a more aesthetic U.S. coinage was a driving force behind the Renaissance, was fond of the High Relief format and wanted it retained. In the end, the practical demands of producing sufficient coinage required lowering the relief, after 11,250 High Relief double eagles were struck in 1907.
In the late 1920s, the Mint produced fewer double eagles, resulting in a number of key dates that present a formidable challenge to those attempting a date or date/mint set. The later part of the series is generally terrain for well-capitalized specialists.
Like many of the other series thus far covered, the entries on Saint-Gaudens double eagles are divided into subtypes. In this case, there are three: the High Relief of 1907, the No Motto of 1907-1908, and the Motto of 1908-1933. The series itself has a brief dedicated entry, as does each subtype. The rarity and collectability of each date is addressed in the individual listings, as in other CRC listings.
