1907 Extremely High Relief, Plain Edge Proof

Survival of the 1907 Extremely High Relief Plain Edge is estimated at fewer than ten examples, making the variant the rarest of the three known edge subtypes within the Ultra High Relief pattern coinage. The Plain Edge designation refers to a smooth perimeter without the E PLURIBUS UNUM inscription present on the Lettered Edge and Inverted Edge Letters subtypes. Production of the Plain Edge variant was experimental within the already-experimental Ultra High Relief program, and it is not known whether it was intended as a final production treatment or as a working trial ahead of edge-lettering tests. The coins share the same obverse and reverse dies as the other EHR variants, with the same nine-blow press requirement and the same MCMVII Roman numeral date.

Authentication of a 1907 EHR Plain Edge depends on edge verification combined with confirmation of Ultra High Relief status. The edge must be smooth and unmarked, without any trace of planing or alteration that would suggest removal of lettering from a Lettered Edge coin, a potential deception that specialist authenticators check specifically. Strike and surface characteristics should match the other EHR variants: medal-quality finish, sharp central detail, and the characteristic planchet preparation that distinguishes the Ultra High Relief production from the circulation-strike HR. Die and surface diagnostics are catalogued for each known example, and pedigree documentation typically accompanies any market appearance. PCGS and NGC both slab the variant with specific attribution when presented, and the certification process involves edge examination as part of standard variant-confirmation protocols. Counterfeit exposure at this rarity level is effectively contained by pedigree tracking, but any raw example offered outside the documented population of surviving coins should be treated as highly suspect until proven otherwise.

Market position for the 1907 EHR Plain Edge is that of a generational rarity within an already generational series of patterns. The variant appears at public sale even less frequently than the Inverted Edge Letters or Lettered Edge subtypes; decades can pass between documented transactions, and private transfers between institutional holdings and landmark collections account for much of the ownership turnover. Pricing at any public sale would reach the seven-figure range and potentially higher, depending on which of the few known examples is offered. Collector demand is concentrated among a very small number of specialists who already own or target the full EHR variant set, and any availability is an event rather than a routine market occurrence. Acquisition requires PCGS or NGC certification with full pedigree documentation. For the broader context of the 1907 Ultra High Relief patterns and the edge-treatment experiments they represent, see the St. Gaudens Gold $20 Double Eagles history article.