Sir, – The 1933 Double Eagle coin illustrated in your paper last Saturday ("Holy grail of collector's items", March 27th) is noted for its rarity. However, it has a more particular interest in Ireland. The coin was designed by Dublin-born Irish-American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907).
It was 1905 when President Theodore Roosevelt challenged Saint-Gaudens to design new coinage for America. The sculptor was working on his design for the Parnell monument for O’Connell Street at the time. The coinage and the Parnell statue were among his last works. The $20 gold piece was first minted in November 1907, three months after Saint-Gaudens’s death. – Yours, etc,
PAULA MURPHY,
Professor Emeritus,
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Dublin 4.