Theodore Roosevelt Athenian owl anecdote source?

Is anyone able to cite the source of the persistent anecdote that President Theodore Roosevelt was known to carry an Athenian owl tetradrachm as a lucky pocket piece? Further, that he drew upon the coin for inspiration when setting about the redesign of American coinage with the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens?

This claim that Teddy Roosevelt carried an owl tetradrachm is made all over the web and in numerous books, but I have yet to find a compelling source. The earliest statement of the factoid that I can find comes from Clain-Stefanelli’s 1974 work 'The Beauty and Lore of Ancient Coins' on page 180.

There are numerous general references to the beauty of Greek coinage in TR's letters but nothing specifically about the Athenian owl. From the correspondence I have read it was actually Alexander the Great’s coins that were more Roosevelt's inspiration. In a letter dated Nov 6, 1905, Roosevelt writes to Saint-Gaudens stating that 'after looking at some gold coins of Alexander the Great today', he wonders if they can try and achieve a higher relief on the new US coins like the Greek coinage. Whose Alexander coins these were, the Smithsonian's or perhaps his own, he does not say.

Any help much appreciated.

 

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https://rg.ancients.info/owls/#:~:text=President Theodore Roosevelt used a,a way of making money.

And here..

https://www.globalgoldusa.com/library/ancients

 

Yes, those are a couple of the web pages that repeat the anecdote without citing any source for such a claim. Neither of these are evidence in themselves.