The planned return in 2009 of Saint-Gaudens? ultra-high-relief $20 gold piece design of 1907 is another step closer as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson approved the design April 24.
Paulson?s action to create the one-year type was revealed by the U.S. Mint May 2.
The design, familar as it is, will be somewhat altered. The coin will be struck on a planchet with the smaller 27-millimeter diameter of the old $10 gold piece, but yet be more than 50 percent thicker than current one-ounce coins to accommodate the one troy ounce of 24-karat gold to be used to make the piece.
The coin will have a business-strike finish, the Mint says.
There will be 50 stars on obverse instead of 46 and ?In God We Trust? will be on the reverse.
Mintage in 2009 will be unlimited and if any are left at the close of the year, sales could continue into 2010.
The date will appear in Roman numerals as ?MMIX? in a style similar to the original Saint-Gaudens design.
The edge of the coin will feature raised lettering like the 1907 pieces, the inscription ?E Pluribus Unum? with stars serving as delimiters between the letters.
