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Between 1907 and the end of the coin's run in 1933, Flat Relief versions
of the Saint were struck, and they were struck in huge numbers, 70 million in all. Many were subsequently melted
down by the Mint, however.
Still, there's a plentitude of Flat Relief Saints on the market at any given time, making them considerably easier
to afford than their higher relief forebears. Uncirculated specimens start at around $350. Though Flat Reliefs
have less than half the edge thickness of the Ultra High Reliefs, they retain the timeless Saint-Gaudens design
in all its glory.
Unlike the Ultra High Reliefs and High Reliefs, which feature Roman numerals for the date, the Flat Reliefs feature
regular Arabic numerals. Proofs were struck but only in small numbers--687 in all, from 1908 through 1915. They
start at about $10,000.
All Saints minted from 1907 to 1911 have 46 stars on the obverse, while those minted from 1912 to 1933 have 48
stars, marking the admission of New Mexico and Arizona to the Union.
But the biggest variation in the Flat Reliefs is with the motto, "In God We Trust." All of the coins
of 1907--Ultra High Reliefs, High Reliefs, and Flat Reliefs--were "No Motto" Saints, as were 90 percent
of the more than five million Saints of 1908. This was a design decision made deliberately by Roosevelt and Saint-Gaudens.
Roosevelt, a devout man, believed that God belonged in houses of worship, not in the places where coins circulate,
which include saloons, casinos, and brothels. To this day many other people feel that including God on our nation's
coins defiles the First Amendment and the separation of church and state that it mandated.
Members of Congress at the time, however, objected to the absence of the motto. In late 1908, "In God We Trust"
was added to the Saint's reverse above the sun. The "With Motto" versions are of slightly higher relief
than the "No Motto" Flat Reliefs struck in 1907 and 1908.
Though Augustus Saint-Gaudens died from cancer in August 1907, shortly before mass production of his namesake coins
began, his vision lives on.
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