The Indian Head Gold Eagle is one of the most valuable coins on the global market today. Not only is it a preferred coin, but its numismatic value preserves history in a way other coins cannot. It also has a colorful history, and it took courage to introduce it at the turn of the century.

The coin was minted from 1907 to 1916 and then irregularly until 1933. The market value of a 1933 Indian Gold Eagle varies from $75,000 to more than $1 million, depending on grade. Mint-condition coins routinely sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

After President Theodore Roosevelt convinced the highly esteemed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign U.S. coins in 1904, he asked the artist to make models for gold coins of different denominations.   In 1905, the artist agreed to design more coins, including this $10 one.

The Liberty Head Eagle design was first used on the one-cent piece in 1907.  Roosevelt asked Saint-Gaudens to use it on the $10 coin, with the condition that something uniquely American would be added.  The result was the Indian headdress.  However, this produced some controversy since the lettering of Liberty didn’t match well with the headdress.

Then, there was public controversy as well, since Teddy Roosevelt directed that the “”In God We Trust” message be deleted because he felt it debased God.  This inspired Congress to take action; they ultimately passed a bill requiring that the sentence be printed on all U.S. currency consistently.

Previously, only 500 coins of this design in the $10 denomination were struck. Eventually, all but 50 were melted down out of those five hundred, making this coin quite rare.  However, other denominations were also minted, including the $2.50 (quarter eagle) and $5 (half eagle).

The first updated coins were used in 1908 and then minted annually until 1933. This all came to an abrupt halt when Franklin Roosevelt proposed and succeeded in passing the Gold Confiscation Act.

For current pricing and more information, please contact us at (877) 444-0923.