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Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Autograph Letter Signed ("Augustus Saint-Gaudens") to the Director of the Mint, George...
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Description
Augustus Saint-Gaudens replies to the Director of the U.S. Mint accepting the commission of "new designs for the [gold] coinage"
Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Autograph Letter Signed
("Augustus Saint-Gaudens") to the
Director of the Mint, George E. Roberts, regarding the design of
American coins. [New York]: January 20, 1905. Two pages on two
leaves, each measuring 5 x 8 inches. On "The Players / 16 Gramercy
Park" stationary. Creased along old folds, 1-inch separation on
folds and 0.5-inch tear to each leaf, both repaired with adhesive
on verso, showing through to recto, other minor, scattered wear.
With "Bureau of the Mint" received stamp in purple, dated "Jan 22
1907" and numbered "247250" in blue, and with red penciled arrow.
Written in response to a communication sent on behalf of President
Theodore Roosevelt, Saint-Gaudens writes to "Mr. George E.
Roberts / Director of the Mint / Washington, D.C." regarding
the design development of several coins, including the iconic $20
Saint-Gaudens' Double Eagle gold piece.Saint-Gaudens writes, in full:
"My dear Sir, Your letter of January 13th addressed c/o Society of American Artists here was sent to Windsor Vermont and from there forwarded to me here two days ago. I am extremely interested in the matter of new designs for the coinage and am honored by your desire that I should give thought and advice on the subject. It will I assure you give me great pleasure to assist in the procuring of good work that I shall [redacted] need time for reflections and consultation with others before replying definitely and when I have come to a conclusion I will write you at once. I shall be in Washington in March and should you desire it can take up the subject with you at that time. Believe me Sincerely Yours, Augustus Saint-Gaudens."
Recognized early and often for his fine sculptural work and affinity for Classical imagery and design, Saint-Gauden was a particularly enlightened choice for the task of redesigning American coins. He was involved with Theodore Roosevelt's presidency early on, having been commissioned to design an inaugural medal, and the two men shared similar frustrations with the current standard of American coins and the U.S. Mint. Though no coin had ever been successfully designed by someone outside of the Mint before this time, Roosevelt sought to change things quickly, writing in the notable "genesis letter" to Leslie Mortier Shaw (Secretary of the Treasury) in December 1904, "I think our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness. Would it be possible, without asking permission of Congress, to employ a man like St. Gaudens to give us a coinage that would have some beauty?" (Burdette, et al.).
Shortly after this pointed comment, Roosevelt directed George E. Roberts, Director of the U.S. Mint, to write Saint-Gaudens asking for his expertise. This letter is Saint-Gaudens' reply, a notably dry response in light of the forced nature of Roberts' initial inquiry at Roosevelt's instruction and Saint-Gaudens' known distaste for the Mint. At one point in their later correspondence on the matter, in discussing various design attributes and guidelines for the coins, Saint-Gaudens writes to the President, "Nothing would please me more than to make the attempt in the direction of the heads of Alexander, but the authorities on modern monetary requirements would, I fear, 'throw fits,' to speak emphatically if the thing were done now... Perhaps an inquiry from you would not receive the antagonistic reply from who have the 'say' in such matters that would certainly be made to me," (Burdette, et al., page 31).
"For nearly two years, Saint-Gaudens struggled with designs that would capture his artistic vision, Roosevelt's political/aesthetic commands and the Mint Bureau's production requirements," (Burdette, et al., page 17). Progress was slow, but with the help of his principal assistant Henry Hering, they completed designs for a $10 gold piece and the iconic $20 Double Eagle gold piece. Unfortunately, Saint-Gaudens succumbed to cancer in August 1907, before he could see the final coins or address the foreshadowed complications of production. Due to the coin's high relief and fine details and related equipment limitations, the $20 Double Eagle coins took numerous strikes to complete and were difficult to stack and store properly. Only approximately twenty of these coins were completed in their ultra-high-relief version; shortly after, the Mint began to issue modified high-relief and normal-relief versions, somewhat to the chagrin of Hering and the artist's family.
Despite all setbacks, this letter embodies the first steps in Theodore Roosevelt's quest to elevate the nation's coinage to loftier heights of artistic merit, inspiring a new era for the U.S. Mint and a generation of fine coin designs among Saint-Gauden's students. "Roosevelt's joy in the early strikes of the coins is evident in his correspondence and the pleasure he took in distributing them. He spoke of the coinage in his memoirs as one of the important achievements of his administration... commenting that the coins were 'more beautiful than any coins since the days of the Greeks," (Duffy, page 118).
Burdette, edited by Halperin & Van Winkle, Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles, pages 15-43; Duffy, Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor of the Gilded Age, pages 117-119; Homer Saint-Gaudens, The Reminiscences of August Saint-Gaudens Volume II, pages 329-333.
Auction Info
2022 July 16 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6258 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2022
16th
Saturday
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