By CoinWeek ….
This Sunday, bidding ends on GreatCollections for this Wire Edge 1907 Indian Head Eagle $10 gold coin graded MS63 by PCGS. It is part of the Soaring Eagle Collection of U.S. coins.
The Importance of the Wired Edge 1907 No Motto With Periods Indian Head Eagle
In addition to being an example of the Wire Edge version of the coin, this 1907 Indian Head Eagle is also a No Motto, With Periods type – an important variety in the history of the Augustus Saint-Gaudens-designed series.
When President Teddy Roosevelt first approached the American Beaux Arts sculptor about beautifying the coinage of the United States, he did not wish to include the motto “In God We Trust” on any coin that the Mint was not legally required to include it, seeing such a statement as blasphemous. Not long after the coins were issued, however, Congress passed legislation demanding its appearance on the gold denomination. The motto would be added to the Eagle’s design, but not until halfway through 1908.
“With Periods” refers to the dots or periods that are featured on the design at the beginning and end of each inscription on the reverse.
As for the edge or rim of the coin, two versions are known to collectors: the Wire Edge and the Rolled Edge. Also known as the “Wire Rim” or “Knife Rim”, the Wired Edge 1907 Eagle has a raised, somewhat sharp rim. Rolled Edge Eagles do not have rims with such definition. Some numismatists believe that the Wired Edge was created as pattern or Proof strike instead of for circulation, but the general (Red Book) consensus is that they are circulation issues. A total of just 542 were produced from one die pair, and 70 of those appear to have been melted seven or eight years later. Approximately 325 to 375 still survive for collectors to own today, and if they have not been cleaned or otherwise impaired in the intervening century plus, they all exhibit lustrous surfaces and an interesting frosty matte finish.
As of the time of publication, the highest of seven bids for this Wire Edge 1907 Indian Head Eagle is $26,000.
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