This is a wire-rimmed Ultra High Relief St. Gaudens Double Eagle with a twist: it was
struck on an eagle-sized planchet that was double thick. The purpose of this pattern
was to see if the ultra high relief could be attained using the proper weight planchet of
smaller diameter and extra thickness. These coins were illegal, as it was not legal to
mint coins of two different denominations using the same diameter planchet. Thirteen
were believed struck, two of which made their way to the Mint Cabinet, and ultimately
in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Possibly one
other is currently believed to exist.
