20 Dollars, United States, 1907

One (1) 20 dollar coin

United States, 1907

Obverse Image: Full-length Liberty holding a torch in her right hand and olive branch in left. Capitol Dome in lower left; rays of sun in background; stars around rim.

Obverse Text: LIBERTY / MCMVII

Reverse Image: Eagle flying through rays of sun.

Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / TWENTY DOLLARS

Edge: E PLURIBUS UNUM divided by stars.

Coins and notes do not have to be beautiful to serve as money, but they have often featured purposeful and symbolic art. Inspired by the beauty and high relief of ancient Greek coins, President Theodore Roosevelt asked eminent sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign American coinage in 1905. Saint-Gaudens died two years later, but not before giving the nation what many consider to be the most artistic American coin ever made – the 1907 double eagle ($20 dollar coin). The obverse of the coin features a powerful Liberty who appears to be striding forward in front of a rising sun. On the reverse, a graceful American eagle is in flight.