2009 Gold Ultra High Relief | PCGS First Strike Modern Numismatic Masterpieces | Stephanie Sabin Autographed

The U.S. Mint's Redemption — 102 Years in the Making

The 2009 Ultra High Relief $20 Gold Coin stands as one of the U.S. Mint's most ambitious and successful modern releases—a numismatic masterpiece that finally realized Augustus Saint-Gauders' original artistic vision more than a century after he first conceived it. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Saint-Gauders to redesign American coinage, and the artist created breathtaking high-relief models. However, the U.S. Mint's technology at the time couldn't produce such coins at scale, forcing compromises that diminished the design's power.

Sculptural, Not Two-Dimensional

Struck on a massive 4mm-thick planchet (more than double the thickness of standard gold coins) in one full troy ounce of .9999 pure 24-karat gold, this coin required multiple strikes under immense pressure to bring up Saint-Gauders' intricate details. The result is sculptural rather than merely two-dimensional—Liberty's gown flows with three-dimensional depth, the Capitol building recedes into the background with realistic perspective, and every star, ray, and letter emerges with crisp definition.

Mirrors on a Business Strike — Exceptionally Scarce

This example achieves MS70 Proof-Like from PCGS—an elite designation that combines the technical perfection of MS70 with the reflective, mirror-like surfaces typically associated with proof coins. The combination of MS70 technical perfection and prooflike surfaces is exceptionally scarce in the 2009 UHR population.

Among the Very First Submissions

The First Strike designation confirms this coin was among the very first submissions to PCGS, creating a narrow population window.

Sabin's Name, Pfeil's Book

The Modern Numismatic Masterpieces label and Stephanie Sabin's hand-signed autograph provide world-class provenance: Sabin, as President of PCGS, is one of the most authoritative figures in modern numismatics, and her signature transforms an already-iconic coin into a piece with institutional authentication.