"Double Eagle" Twenty Dollar Gold Piece [obverse] c. 1905 - 1907

This Double Eagle gold coin was conceived in the early 1900's by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and it's a trip, right? I mean, just think about it: the guy was trying to capture the feeling of liberty in something you could hold in your hand. He probably felt like he was wrestling with something impossible, like trying to paint pure light. I can imagine him, totally obsessed, working and reworking the design, trying to get that balance between the real and the ideal just right. The way the figure strides forward, all those sun rays bursting out, it’s so full of energy. It’s like he wanted you to feel the optimism, the can-do spirit of the time. That's the thing about art, whether it's on a canvas or a coin, it’s about trying to nail down a feeling, a moment, and share it. And it’s still doing it, this coin.