In the field of coin collecting few names hold as much special meaning praise as Augustus Saint Gaudens. St. Gaudens was an artist and coin designer in the early 1900s who was commissioned to create designs for some US gold coins. These designs would be etched onto a special gold coin as a way to mimic and pay homage to the classic coinage of Ancient Greece. The design Saint Gaudens came up with became known as the Saint Gaudens Liberty, a 20-dollar gold piece. Today it is revered amongst coin collectors as arguably the greatest and most beautiful American coin design in history, a constantly sought collectible of incredible rarity.
The St. Gaudens gold coin is known and revered because of its design. At the request of then-president Theodore Roosevelt the coin does not have the traditional American motto "in God we trust" on it. It was omitted in all versions of the coin. Instead on the front face lady Liberty is seen standing and holding a olive branch. The reverse side of the coin features a bald eagle in flight with the date in Roman numerals. While millions of the coins were struck at the US Mint during their production period on a couple thousand survived the years. Many were melted down, stored in Treasury vaults or exported or traded. Today the coin is so rare many sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Those who appreciate the beauty of the Gaudens gold coin design do not have to be wealthy coin collectors to take advantage. Because of the rarity of the coin itself its design has been immortalized in several reproductions and other collectors� items. The design's beauty combined with the use of gold has made it perfect for implementation in certain pieces of jewelry. Watches and pendants feature metal reproductions of the original coin that capture all of the detail of the design but at a fraction of the price. Because the Saint Gaudens design was so detailed and recognizable it lends itself perfectly to smaller sizes than the original coin. This means the watches and other jewelry can be scaled down without losing the importance of the design. Primarily it will be the Liberty design from the front face of the coin that is used and displayed in this jewelry. That is the most recognized and timeless of the coin's two sides and provides a perfect backdrop for a watch face or a great display piece to outline in metal on a pendant necklace.
The Gaudens gold coin is also usually available in a reproduction coin. This keeps the design the same size as it was on the original piece and is perfect for display alongside any collection. No matter which manner you choose to show off such a classic example of American coin design it will fit right in with even any collection.
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