Augustus

Augustus

Augustus Saint-Gaudends was born in Dublin, Ireland on March 1, 1848 and was the Irish born American sculptor of the Beaux-arts generation. Of course this generation was the one that embodied the ideals of the’ American Renaissance’ for than anyone else. Although he was raised in New York City, he also traveled to Europe when he would further his artistic training and overall artistic study. There are many different things that Augustus is highly regarded for within many different communities for the work he has done, however he is perhaps most known for his interest in coinage.

Referring to his early portraits as “medallions”, it is no wonder that Augustus always had a great interested in the art of the coin. He designed many different coins throughout his career including his twenty dollar gold piece, the double eagle coin that was designed by Augustus in 1905 for the US mint. The original design was ultimately adapted for the minting process, however the coin is still considered by many to be the most incredibly designed American coins that was ever publicly issued. At the beginning of the 20th century Augustus was chosen by Theodore Roosevelt in order to redesign the coinage of the nation. Augustus produced a high relief $20 gold piece that was ultimately adapted to a flat version by the mint for production. The coins that were designed by Augustus are considered to be very desirable my many modern coin collectors and numismatists and often fetch quite a high price in auction. This is the reason that Augustus Saint-Gaudends is considered to be one of the most notable coin designers in American history. If you are interested in Augustus coinage, there are some great auctions that will allow you access to these coins.