Like the Twenty Dollar Liberty, the Saint Gaudens was originally minted as a legal tender twenty dollar gold coin. When it was released in 1907, it replaced the Liberty and became the US Mint's flagship coin. It is the only widely produced coin that owes its name to the French sculptor who designed it. The striking image of Lady Liberty stepping out of the setting sun was the work of Augustus Saint Gaudens, who is widely regarded as one of the premier sculptors in American history. When Theodore Roosevelt asked him to redesign the nations coinage, he took the challenge, eventually producing what is now regarded as the most beautiful American coin ever produced. As it is considered the most beautiful, so has it commanded the highest premium ever paid for a coin. One surviving 1933 Saint Gaudens recently drew a hammer price at auction of over seven million dollars. Like the Twenty Dollar Liberty, the Saint Gaudens comes in several varieties and numerous grades. Prices range from a few percent over the gold value of the coin, well into the seven figure range for the finest known examples.
