In 1905 amid the elegance of diplomacy and art, President Theodore Roosevelt and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens began a political-creative collaboration that was to change the face of American coinage. This is the beginning of our nation’s Golden Age of numismatic art – a Renaissance of American Coinage design that would last until 1921. In nearly 400 pages of carefully researched text and images – including more than one hundred never before published letters and designs – author Roger W. Burdette brings to life the complete story of America’s most beautiful coins. Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1908 explores this singular artistic partnership through extensive research and integration with contemporary historical events. Among many revelations are: the artist’s original coin designs, how and when the stunning Extremely High Relief patterns were made and who owned them, two new Saint-Gaudens $10 patterns, how and when the high relief $20 coins were struck and much more. Extensive information is provided on initial production (including identity the of person who actually cut the first hubs), origin of the low relief double eagle design, abandoned one-cent designs, and include a list of more than one hundred original purchasers of the special collector’s coins. The book also describes the design and production of Bela Pratt’s innovative $5 and $2.50 gold coins in 1908, his struggles with Presidential-friend William Sturgis Bigelow, and two missing Indian head patterns. Authoritative text, extensive illustrations and thorough referencing make Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1908 the only comprehensive source for this important, but poorly understood aspect of American art and numismatics. This book will be of special interest to historians of the early 20th century, coin collectors and fine art sculptors. It is intended to become a standard reference for libraries and historical research facilities. Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1908 is the second of three books exploring the coinage redesign of 1907-1921. A companion volume covering the 1916-1921 period (ISBN 0-9768986-0-8, available from the publisher.) was released in October 2005, and a third volume covering 1909-1915 is planned for release in 2007. The book is available direct from Seneca Mill Press LLC, PO Box 1423, Great Falls VA 22066 for $64.95 plus $4.50 postage