Are Really Well-Struck St. Gaudens NM Just Plain Rare? Do They Even Exist?

brianc1959

I've been on a casual search for a nice No-Motto St. Gaudens for some time, and it seems to me that truly well-struck examples might as well be hen's teeth. For example, here is one of the 10 MS69 examples:

The weakness in the right hand and especially the nose (which looks like it's been bashed-in with a sledge hammer to me) are pretty glaring for what should be a nearly perfect example.

This MS68 looks considerably better in the face, but it's still far from great:

Here is a typical MS67, where the nose and mouth look like they've been sheared off with a chisel. Just thinking about it sends a chill down my spine:

Here is another MS67 where Liberty basically looks like a cadaver:

Needless to say, there are many examples that look far worse than the ones I've shown here.

Is it just me, or does this bother anyone else? Whenever I look at a 1907 or 1908 NM the first thing I do is look at the face, and nearly always am disappointed. Perhaps something like a "FH" (Full Head), or perhaps "FHFH" (Full Head, Full Hand) designation is warranted for this series?

skier07

I get your point but if you blow a picture up big enough every flaw will be visible.

Here’s my example:

PerryHall

The weakness seen on 1908 NM Saints are due to the weakness of the design in the dies rather than the striking pressure being too low. A similar situation exists with the 1908 Indian quarter eagle. The top of the eagle's wing lacks detail due to weakness in the die rather than too low striking pressure.

pcgscacgold

I am happy with the strike on my 1908 NM.

brianc1959

@pcgscacgold said:
I am happy with the strike on my 1908 NM.

That's definitely a very nice sample - better than 99% of all the 1908's I've looked at!

brianc1959

A closer view of pcgscacgold's sample:

I think the face detail is nicer than any of the higher grade samples I posted.

pcgscacgold

She has a full nose and also toes. Nice to have that in a Saint.

Mine is a 66+ CAC. I agree, the 67's above don't have a nose. The 69 looks like she got in a fight.

I had to have this one when I saw it. Paid over guide for it.

ricko

@pcgscacgold.... That is a very, very nice Saint... Cheers, RickO

Downtown1974

@pcgscacgold That is a very nice looking NM Saint!
I have this raw NM in a Capital holder now, but I like the appearance of this one.