American Indian Head

As the last Liberty Head coin was produced in 1908, the American Indian Head coin was to be its replacement. Though, the coin that it would eventually come to be was something other than was originally intended: commissioned by Theodore Roosevelt to be more in a style reminiscent of ancient coins struck by the Greeks and Romans, the image of an Indian was used – an ironic choice given the President’s famous animosity toward the country’s indigenous people.

Though images of Indians had been used on coins before, the Indian Head Gold coin is said to be the first image fashioned after actual Native Americans. Earlier representations had not reflected the ethnology of their subjects at all. Such is the legend of the Indian Cent which was said to have been modeled on images of Caucasian women in a war bonnet.

As with the Liberty Gold coin before it, the American Indian Head coin was also designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The new coins would be issued in smaller sizes including four gold pieces and a cent. Only two were issued, the $2.5 and $5 sizes. When Saint-Gaudens died of cancer in 1907 before completing all of the coins, sculptor and former student of his, Bela Lyon Pratt, was engaged to finish the coins in a rush. In an unusual circumstance, changes would be made without congressional authorization. Mint officials assumed that, like all previous coins minted, that whatever design was selected for the Double Eagle, it’d be fitted into a scaled-down for the three lower denominations – such would not be the case. President Roosevelt’s desire was that the Eagle and Double Eagle would bear different designs, something never done before.

At Mint State Gold by Stuppler we will often recommend the $2.50 Indian Head Gold coin AKA Quarter Eagle Gold coin to new clients as an accessible entry point into collecting gold coins. Depending on year and grade, coins may be priced as low as $300.

More about the features of the American Indian Head:

The $2.50 Indian Head Gold coin were produced intermittently from 1908 through 1929; some 15 different varieties were coined
The $10 Indian Head Gold coin was struck by the U.S. Mint continuously from 1907 until 1916, then irregularly until 1933
The scarcest of the coins produced was the 1911-D, of which just 55,680 were minted, the only issue to be produced in a quantity of fewer than several hundred thousand pieces; choice Uncirculated Indian Quarter Eagles Gold coins are hard to find, particularly among the earlier dates; due to the nature of its design, even a small amount of handling tended to cause nicks and marks on the surface
The Indian Quarter Eagle Gold and Half Eagle Gold represented an innovation in American coinage; the designs were incuse or inset in the surface – the field of the coin, the part of the face that’s normally lowest, became the highest; incusing was a method used in ancient times and had never before been utilized in circulating U.S. issues
Extremely valuable versions of the coins include the 1909 Indian, highly prized and sought out regardless of the condition – because of its rarity even some of the worst preserved pieces sell for more than $3,000; also, the 1929 Indian is also very rare and tends to sell high regardless of condition

You may find a variety of mintage years and locations currently available on the Mint State Gold by Stuppler website.

Because so few of these coins were minted, they tend to be highly sought after. Even for coins in poor condition, they’re still quite popular among collectors and investors alike. Because of this scarcity, even coins in poor condition – common among circulated coins – are still highly prized and in demand among collectors. Mint State Gold is always looking for these sought-after pieces given that we are one of the worlds largest market makers not only in this series, but several other of the largest series traded today as well.

To learn more about the American Indian Head and see how it could be an excellent fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us here and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you.

American Indian Head Coin Specifications:

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold
Purity	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper
Year(s) Minted	1907-1933	1908-1929	1908-1929
Where Minted	Philadelphia/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia & Denver
Composition	0.48375 AGW and 0.053 Copper	0.2419 AGW and 0.027 Copper	0.1209 AGW and 0.013 Copper
Total Weight	0.537 troy oz	0.269 troy oz	0.134 troy oz
Denomination	$10.00	$5	$2.5
Thickness	2.03 mm	1.59 mm	1.27 mm
Diameter	27 mm	21.6 mm	18 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business / Proof	Business / Proof	Business / Proof