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The most beautiful coin ever made?


This is an interesting question, and one to be debated among novice and the most advanced collector.  There were many coins made around the world and many made particularly in the United States.  Most would agree that beauty "Is in the eye of the beholder" and is very subjective, but there is one coin that stood out above the rest, the St. Gaudens Double Eagle $20 gold coin.
President Rosevelt chose a sculper by the name of Augustus Saint Gaudens to design his anaugual medal, which was very pleasing to the President, it was only natural for him to choose him to redesign the Libery $20 double eagle.  Rosevelt had "shock and awe" in his mind when he thought to redesign the coin.  He wanted this coin to be far and away above all other coins in terms of it's beauty.
The coin was initially designed to be of extreme high relief, with extra wide rims and edges.  However he received significant push back from the chief engraver at the U.S mint for the lack of practicality with the high relief design.  Ultimately that design was abandonded.  Interestingly, Augustus Saint Gaudens died prior to the minting initiation in 1933, and never saw his designed coin in circulation.
You may like the design of other coins, but the St. Gaudens is truely the most beautiful coins ever minted.  In fact, when the U.S. started minting gold again in 1986, the obvious choice of designing the American Eagle bullion gold coin, was to replicate the St. Gaudens.
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