Show Real Artistic Merit in American Gold Coinage The TIle first gold coins Issued by the Infant United S States writes Gwendo Gwenda line Keene in the Boston Doston Transcript came In 1703 1705 from the Philadelphia 1 mint still our leading one There I were eagle engle and halt half eagles eagles halt 10 and 5 Double eagles are the highest the government has hns ever gone one except except ex ex- when we celebrated the Pan Pan- Pacific ama exposition with a n 50 piece The ones minted until Just now were from quarter quarter eagles les to doubles but we have minted dollars 3 and 4 very rare We started right In with the head of Liberty and an nn eagle engle In the be beginning she was a rather countrified ed looking lass and the eagle cagle was a n bit scrawny but buthe he lie soon swelled out to heraldic size and ond the Jn lady took tool on more poise They changed very ery little in the next net years It was the days s 's of oC the Forty that brought In the tho novelties Tiring of gold dust exchange l Individuals In San Francisco Denver Den Salt Lake City and other centers melted up the gold dust with enough alloy to keep keepIt It to together ether and put out gold coins Some of these were very fine copies of the government Issues distin distinguishable only by the name of ot the Issuer so small that sometimes It fitted in Liberty's coronet Others were frankly original such as ns one of ot the 30 50 50 slugs slug'S of 1851 Issued by Augustus Humbert In California It ItIs ItIs Itis Is sided eight-sided and easily dented because because because be be- cause of its considerable weight You hold it H as you should hold all rare coins gingerly in thumb and finger by the e edge gc By 1007 1907 we were getting artistic and that year the beautiful double double- eagle of Au Augustus Saint Gaudens Gaudens ens was minted along with new designs for forthe forthe forthe the three other gold pieces As first struck the Saint Saint-Gaudens was In quite high relief reHer because the face was distinctly concave It has a full- full length Liberty striding forward nn and nn an eagle in full flight but it nearly raised the roof says Mr Pond Pon secretary secretary secretary sec sec- of the Boston Numismatic society because It left off ort In God We Trust This had been on since Civil war days when a 0 clergyman wrote to the secretary of the treasury treasury treas treas- ury Ory calling his attention to the fact that recognition of our dependence upon Almighty God has been overlooked overlooked over over- looked on our currency It came out first as ns God Our Trust Saint Gaudens' Gaudens coin had to be flattened out oot after niter the first Issue because It didn't stack up well but the design has bas been used ever eer since with In God We Wo Trust Trost put back bock almost Immedi ImmedI- We are the only large nation today that uses any religious reference reference reference refer refer- ence on Its coins but in n early times the French used Blessed be the name Dame of at the Lord In Latin LaUn and later Inter In n French God Protect France |