Ultra High Relief Gold Double Eagle Unveiling
The United States Mint unveiled the designs for the upcoming 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin on July 30, 2008. The unveiling took place after the opening ceremony for the ANA World's Fair of Money held in Baltimore, Maryland.
The unveiling was part of a larger exhibit at the United States Mint booth. The exhibit included four separate museum like showcases which tell the story of the coin from raw material to finished product.
The first case contained six gold bars. Each gold bar had a weight of 27.4 pounds. On the day of the exhibit, the gold contained in the case had a value of $2,307,870.
The second case contained an early pencil sketch of Augustus Saint Gaudens masterpiece as well as the final plaster that was produced back in 1907. Modern technology was used to digitally map the original plasters, and create new ones with a few alterations from the original design.
The third case contained feasibility strikes and dies, progression strikes and dies, and collar die sections. These represent the various phases of testing which must take place before actual coins are struck with the new design.
The fourth and final case contained the finished 2009 Ultra High Relief Gold Double Eagle Coins. The coins contain 1 troy ounce of 24 karat gold. The coins measure 4 mm thick and 27 mm in diameter. A prototype of the upcoming US Mint packaging was also included in the case.
