United States Ten-dollar Gold Piece 1906 - 1910

Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed this United States Ten-dollar Gold Piece, sometime before 1907. It's a coin, so obviously it's gold, but it's more than just a hunk of metal. Look closely and you will see that Saint-Gaudens wasn't just stamping out currency, but crafting a tiny sculpture. The textures are so controlled, from the smooth cheek of the Native American figure to the feathery headdress. Each of these marks are precise and intentional, even though they had to be reproduced on a mass scale. I think this coin could be considered alongside the work of someone like Gustav Klimt, whose portraits used gold leaf to create a similar sense of glamour and opulence. With the shine, the form, and the iconography, it becomes something much more meaningful than just money.