1907 $20 St. Gaudens High Relief question

Raufus

Folks-

I would greatly appreciate a bit of advice regarding the 1907 St. Gaudens High Relief $20 gold piece.

I'm very new to the hobby and have bought and sold almost exclusively modern stuff. I have a little knowledge of the moderns but almost none of the classics.

With the stock market disappointing (to say the least) as of late, and having been blessed with a good year in '07, I was contemplating the purchase of an MS64 St. G. HR as I just love this coin. I think that it one of the most beautiful coins that I've ever seen.

My point in acquiring the coin would be both as a collector and an investment piece, with emphasis on the latter, as I want to diversify my investments a bit.

My question to those in the know relates to how this coins is currently priced vs. where it has been historically. I.e., is it over, properly or undervalued at present. I know that some classics go in cycles but have no feel whatsoever for where this coin is at present. I've seen MS64s going for the mid 20K on ebay. Good time to buy this piece or not?

Thanks very much for reading my post and for any comments.

tightbudget

It's fairly valued. I would NOT buy it as an investment, but if you really like the design, go for it.

BECOKA

Sign up for an account at Heritage. You can get a good idea of current and past pricing in thier archives.

JapanJohn

I am absolutely with you here. The 1907 HR is my personal Holy Grail for coin collecting. I AM going to buy one but I'm right where you're at. Another problem I have is that I live in Japan and can't just buy one or rather I should say I will NOT buy one without holding it in my hot little hands and inspecting it first. I don't care if PCGS, NGC, and CAC all graded it the same time when the moon was in the 7th house.

I hold it first and get a feel for my emotions.

Personally I think that a crash is imminent in the rare coin world or call it what you want, an adjustment. I'm willing to wait for said correction. Could be a mistake or not. I can't honestly say as I've held one either. Never. So I may pick one up and think........20K?......naaaaahhhhh.

John

roadrunner

A coin that probably won't fare very well as coin prices weaken eventually. While they have advance somewhat again as gold has gone through $700, 800, 900.....they are still below their $30K high of May 2006. I think there are far better ways to spend $25K in the current market and not have as much risk. But HR saints are a nice looking coin and are probably fairly valued. Gold bullion (or coins with a large % of bullion such as MS65 Saints) will most likely outperform a HR saint in the next few years and also have the benefit of their intrinsic value. I think hand selected MS65/66 saints are still a great deal, esp since you can probably buy PQ ones in holders for little premium. A 20th century choice/gem gold type set
might be a better value as well and very liquid.

roadrunner

RWB

Out of the original mintage of approximately 12,367 pieces, a substantial percentage remain in AU and Uncirculated condition. When released, the coin was snapped up by employees of the various sub-treasuries and few made it to a bank. With a premium of $10 to $15 in late 1907 and much of 1908, almost none of the coins made it into circulation. The value dropped back to $22 and then near face, after the initial enthusiasm waned and HR $20 have been readily available for decades.

The design is possibly the US’s best coin design, and is extremely popular with collectors. However the current prices discourage many from acquiring a nice example. Major auctions commonly include multiple examples attesting to both the high prices and ready availability of the HR $20.

This is also one of the most counterfeited coins ion the US series, so only by an example certified by PCGS or NGC.

If you buy one, do it for the beauty of the design and the unique story of its creation by the collaboration of Theodore Roosevelt and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. As an investment, prices have increased greatly in the past few years so it is questionable how much of an increase this issue can tolerate. Check the Stacks and Heritage auction archives for page after page of photos and prices.

PS: If you want to know all about how the coins were created, invest in a copy of the book Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1908, by the present writer.

northcoin

For what it is worth, the 1907 HR Saint is the one coin that I never have any problem selling or trading. It seems to be a very in demand coin such that liquidity is less problematic than for other higher priced coins. That spike about a MS-64 being worth $30,000 in May of 06 though is only true for what you would have had to pay to get one then. As a collector non-dealer seller you still would have had difficulty getting more than $24,000 out of it even on trade.

messydesk

Coins aren't necessarily the greatest investments. While the HR Saint is a fantastic coin, it is far from being in the ultra-rarity category that seems to be immune to falling in value. Here is a list of all PCGS 64 1907 HR Saints that went through Heritage's hands since 1993. It looks that the biggest jump in value took place from 2002-2004. The outlying high prices are for coins that are going to be tried for 65 holders, as not all 64s are created equal. Sign up for a Heritage account, then go look at the pictures they have for the recent ones. Compare those that sold for lots of money to those that sold for less and ask yourself if you could pick these kinds of coins out consistently from the rest.

2008 January 12 $25,300.00
2008 January 12 $40,250.00
2008 January 12 $57,500.00
2007 August 12 $29,900.00
2007 June 2 $25,300.00
2007 May 12 $27,600.00
2007 May 12 $29,900.00
2007 May 12 $31,050.00
2007 May 12 $32,200.00
2007 March 17 $29,900.00
2007 February 17 $24,725.00
2007 January 6 $29,900.00
2007 January 6 $27,600.00
2007 January 6 $27,600.00
2007 January 6 $27,600.00
2006 August 14 $31,050.00
2006 June 3 $29,900.00
2006 April 29 $29,900.00
2006 April 7 $32,200.00
2006 April 7 $31,050.00
2006 January 7 $32,200.00
2005 November 5 $28,750.00
2005 November 3 $35,937.50
2005 September 24 $28,750.00
2005 January 15 $25,875.00
2005 January 15 $27,600.00
2005 January 15 $32,200.00
2004 November 6 $24,150.00
2004 October 5 $22,425.00
2004 August 21 $25,300.00
2004 August 21 $28,175.00
2004 August 21 $24,150.00
2004 June 5 $20,700.00
2004 May 8 $23,000.00
2004 March 27 $24,725.00
2003 July 29 $19,550.00
2003 May 3 $17,825.00
2003 January 11 $16,100.00
2002 October 15 $16,100.00
2002 July 30 $14,662.50
2002 July 30 $14,950.00
2002 April 27 $16,675.00
2002 January 12 $12,075.00
2002 January 12 $13,052.50
2002 January 12 $15,525.00
2001 May 31 $16,100.00
2001 May 31 $13,800.00
2001 May 31 $13,972.50
2001 May 31 $25,875.00
2001 March 27 $15,000.00
2001 February 23 $14,950.00
2001 January 5 $13,570.00
2001 January 5 $25,587.50
2000 November 17 $14,087.50
2000 August 7 $16,100.00
2000 January 7 $15,525.00
2000 January 7 $34,500.00
1999 January 8 $17,250.00
1998 January 10 $12,075.00
1997 September 10 $12,100.00
1997 September 10 $13,200.00
1997 January 11 $11,500.00
1997 January 11 $10,465.00
1995 June 4 $18,150.00
1995 February 3 $10,340.00
1994 October 8 $11,550.00
1993 November 12 $12,210.00
1993 September 10 $11,550.00
1993 July 27 $12,430.00
1993 July 27 $12,650.00
1993 June 4 $13,200.00
1993 May 22 $11,660.00
1993 February 3 $14,300.00

Raufus

I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to those of you who responded to my inquiry for your in depth and informative responses. Your time and knowledge are immensely appreciated.