Augustus St Gaudens - Designer Of The Most Beautiful Coin In The World
The Saint Gaudens $20 gold coin is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful coins ever created. Its designer, Augustus St. Gaudens, was an Irish born American artist who spent most of his days sculpting. He was a creator of works that modeled the ideals of the American Renaissance, and also had a great interest in numismatics. He was raised in New York City, and traveled to Europe to study art and design before returning to America to become a successful and well-known artist. He created many monuments of the Civil War era heroes, including the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on Boston Common. He also designed the equestrian monument for William Tecumseh Sherman in Central Park.
Augustus designed the Double Eagle $20 gold piece for the U.S. Mint. He spent two years perfecting the design before it was issued in 1907. In addition, he also designed the $10 Indian Head gold eagle, which was minted at the same time as the St. Gaudens $20 gold coin, and both coins remained in circulation and were minted until 1933. Much later in life, he founded an artistic community known as Cornish Colony, where prominent artists, painters, sculptors, writers, and architects came to reside.
Come back tomorrow to learn more of the history of this famous sculptor and his work.
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