USA MMIX Ultra High Relief 20 Dollars

I bought this from the mint on the second day of availability, so, had I submitted it for grading then it might have been marked "First Strike", it isn't...but it is! I need the ability to crack open the capsule and revel in Monetas' new found technical abilities. Truly a GEM! The photo does not do it justice as it was taken while still in the cap. More later on the evolution of the design (hint..Saint-Gaudens wanted an Indian headdress and wings on his Victory; see his design in the Liberia - USA Tribute section in Africa).
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Even our best intentions can sometimes get misinterpreted and come back to haunt us. That's true for any of us, and it's certainly true if you're the President of the United States.
In 1907, as President Theodore Roosevelt and renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens finished their collaboration to give American gold coins a dramatic new look, Teddy insisted that the motto "In God We Trust" be left off of the new $20 gold coin. Roosevelt was not a heathen. Quite the contrary, the former Sunday school teacher was actually trying to protect the sanctity of the phrase by leaving it off of U.S. coins.
As Roosevelt saw it, having God's name appear on coins which would be used for all sorts of mundane (and even some profane) transactions was an affront. He therefore insisted that the motto not appear on his brand new $20 Saint-Gaudens Gold Double Eagles when they were unveiled in 1907.
But the public misinterpreted Teddy's good intentions. No good deed goes unpunished
The missing motto sparked a huge public uproar, as God-fearing citizens decried what they perceived to be an attempt to remove God from our national identity. Despite Roosevelt's stubborn defense of his actions, Congress eventually rebuffed the popular President by passing an Act on May 18, 1908, which required the motto "In God We Trust" to appear on all silver and gold coins. (GovMint.com)
Hettie Anderson is the known model for the $20 gold piece of 1907> and the Walking Liberty half dollar, she was born in South Carolina in 1873. She relocated to New York City, where she became an artist's model, an uncommon employment at that time for a woman of African-American descent. Anderson posed for the Sherman Monument's figure of Victory in 1897; one of her sittings with Saint-Gaudens was captured by the artist Anders Zorn. Anderson was also the model for the figure of Liberty on Saint-Gaudens' twenty-dollar gold piece.
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