"Scanning and examining documents at the National Archives is a little like searching through those "Mystery Bags" or "Grab Bags" that used to proliferate at coin shops and local coin shows. We paid a few dollars for a sealed bag or box, and took our chance of finding a valuable coin inside. Of course, most of these things contained coins as promised, but their value was less than the cost of the bag -- but it could still be fun for an occasional gamble.

"Last Tuesday, I was digging into the vast mystery boxes of NARA at College Park, Md., and amid all the "lower value" finds was one, really unusual and numismatically significant letter. Tucked away in an innocuous file box was the original acceptance letter by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens for the 1905 commission to redesign U.S gold coins. This letter is not a copy. It has the sculptor's original signature and is addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury. While there are other autograph Saint-Gaudens (and Theodore Roosevelt) letters in NARA files, this is the one that began the entire Renaissance of American Coinage period from 1905-1921."

Amazing find! Ya gotta play to win, and Roger's a playa. He's often up to his elbows in dusty old boxes at the National Archives and Records Administration. And that's what it takes to uncover new facts and information in U.S. numismatics. Congratulations! -Editor