A modern gold coin that disappointed many

Here is the 2009 "Ultra High Relief" $20 gold coin. When I heard about this piece, I thought thought that it would be a reproduction of the classic Ultra High Relief $20 gold. It wasn't. It was a modern version of an experimental piece that the mint made that never left the facility.



This piece is the diameter of a $10 gold piece with twice the thickness.

When Theodore Roosevelt asked for a high relief coinage, the leadership knew it would be a challenge. The design could not be struck up with one blow from the dies. They ultimately found that it took three blows.

One of the experiments they tried was the same design with the diameter of a $10 gold with twice the thickness. Such a coin could not have been issued without the approval of Congress. That never came.

Originally 20 of these coins were struck. All but two were melted. Those survivors were sent to the Smithsonian Collection. I snapped these pictures through the glass at the Smithsonian.



Today the 2009 Ultra High Relief $20 gold sells for a little more than melt. It's really a better coin than that because it provided collectors with an example of a coin that is uncollectable otherwise.

I bought one of the 2009 coins from the mint. It came in a big mahogany box with interesting book that told how the piece was made.

The piece I received was disappointing because of die polish marks. I ended up buying one from a dealer (the first piece above) which was in a PCGS MS-70 holder. The dealer was fed up with it because the market was falling, and he wasn't making any money. Since I was not buying it to make money, it suited me fine. I think that it's an interesting and attractive coin, but not what many people expected.

 

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She's a beauty. Try to take some angled photos to show the depth.

 

Someone created a thread a few hours ago to post these coins.. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/post-your-saints.409682/

 

Yes, I posted there, but I thought that 2009 piece deserves its own thread.

 

I'd kinda like to have one of these one day. I missed the boat when gold was lower, but I guess I'll start watching for them again.

 

I bought one back in the day (mint) but sold it at FUN a few years ago. I was never crazy about the thickness .........

 

IMO, the subject could apply to most modern gold coins. That the most popular coins are rehashes of early 20th century designs speaks volumes to me of the lack of a talented chief engraver and a flawed “art by committee” process.

 

Thickness was the whole idea. When you decrease the diameter, it takes less pressure to strike the coin.

 

If you really look at them, there are some good designs among the modern commemorative gold coins. The trouble is the only way they have made money for their owners has been through increases in the price of gold.

Some of the good designs:

• Constitution
• Columbus
• Washington (First use of Laura Frazer’s quarter design.)
• Mark Twain

 

I am a big fan of the 2009 $20. I finally got one last year. Great piece and the packaging is incredible (other than the space it takes).

I agree with you @johnmilton about the Washington gold commerative. I also like the $10 2020 Mayflower commem.

 

This is to funny

 

That guy has a lot of nerve charging for shipping after getting an inflated price of almost $20k. He’s also selling an NGC graded coin which often brings lower prices.

 

I thought it was pretty comical myself. found many other options under 3K
a couple at $2,400 with COA.

 

Same here; I kept watching them when gold was in the 1,200s but never bid enough to win one. So it's on the back end of the list for now.

 

I bought one of these when they came out. Great looking coin despite them adding IGWT with a computer font. Had the powers that be had their act together, it would have been the first of the American Liberty high relief gold series. Instead, it's a bit of a white elephant. Still like it, though.

 

The distinction here is that the TPG called the coin P-L. That does bring a premium, but nothing like the price this guy wants. I guess he’s looking for a rich guy with more money than brains. Many members of that targeted audience would waste their “pocket change” on something other than a coin.

 

Impressive looking coin.

 

It’s worth more like $3,300 than $20,000. “Impressive” fades away when the price is ridiculous.