Saint-Gaudens Vs Liberty Head Double Eagles

Coincidently, seeing this thread, I am in the process of trading one of my common date duplicate $20 Liberty's (which is probably only AU or MS61/62) for a common MS62 slabbed PCGS St Augustus. I probably have to add a little money, maybe a hundred or two.

I always look for a nice nose on Liberty's face on the St Augustus coin. They are sometimes either weak or flattened from circulation which hurts the beauty of the design.
The one I'm looking at is nice with no real shortcomings.
It will fill a big hole in my type set.

Some say it is the most beautiful US coin. It's up there but maybe not the best.
Maybe a very high grade high relief would be?

I see both types from the same perspective as Sap does, and for the same reasons.

I sold a collection many decades ago that included Liberty Head type, in about MS-62, as best that I can remember.
When the opportunity came along to acquire another Double Eagle, I opted for the St Gaudens type, for purely aesthetic reasons. In MS-61, I paid the equivalent of U.S.$420 for it in a public auction, in the mid 1980's. I still have it.

My first love is ancient coins, and the design on both sides of the St Gaudens Double Eagle are of the very best neo classic ancient Greek coinage design, very much assisted by modern minting technology.

If I want to show a picture of a coin to someone who knows nothing about numismatics, I go to my phone picture gallery, and present the St Gaudens image. It is easily the most appreciated design by those who have a only a basic knowledge of art, either ancient or modern neo classic.

Like most of American neoclassic coin design, it proudly proclaims that it was produced by the United States of America, even without a legend.

The 2009 one ounce Ultra High Relief Double Eagle had good reason to be produced by the U.S. Mint

I lean towards the history side. Liberty Head denotes Gold Rush and Civil War. St. Gaudens denotes Belle Epoque, and I have lots of French examples of that. I like the $10 Indian better than the Saint in the same period.

Being of gold, it is hard not to love them both, but the Saint Gaudens looks better.

Thanks for the welcomes!

Points well taken.

They're both traditional ancient coin designs sel. The Liberty Head bust is in the tradition of the Athena tetradrachms. The Saint medallion is in the tradition of the Persian archer king on the darics and siglos.

What we have lost is the owl....

You present some good points. Factoring out both Saint-Gaudens and Roosevelt, three things represent the United States no matter where you are from in this world. The eagle, the buffalo and the native American Indian. In combining two of those, both on the 2 1/2 and five dollar gold (and the Indian head nickel if counting) is a home run. Throw in an incuse design and it becomes extremely tough to top. My personal opinion.