| Coin | Weight (g) | Composition | Gold Melt Value | Full Melt Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Head Half Eagl e(1908-1929 ) | 8.359 | Gold 90%, Copper 7%, Silver 3% |
1914 Indian Head Half Eagle
Indian Head Half Eagle five dollar gold coins were minted between 1908 and 1916 and again in 1929. They have reeded edges, are 21.6 millimeters, weigh 8.359 grams and are composed of 90% gold and 10% copper. These gold coins were designed by Bela Lyon Pratt and based on Augustus Saint-Gaudens golden eagle coin released in 1907 after he passed away earlier that year.
The Indian Head Half Eagle coin’s “incused” design is unique and only shared with its match, the quarter gold eagle. Instead of the traditional raised relief design the design is recessed below the coin’s surface. This recessed design is typical of ancient Egyptian coins. President Theodor Roosevelt had decided to bring a new look to the United States currency and was inspired to bring the classic designs of the ancient Greeks to achieve this.
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The Boston doctor, William Sturgis Bigelow, was a good friend of Theodor Roosevelt and suggested the ancient Egyptian design style to Roosevelt. There was criticism over this coins design such as to the lean appearance of Indian depicted as being emaciated and then the unmerited concerns of contagions being carried in the recessed design. These complaints went on to express unmerited concerns about counterfeiting, its stacking capability, and on. These were taken in stride and attributed to the general fear of the new.
1912 Indian Head Half Eagle obverse
The obverse of the Indian Head Half Eagle has a male Indian’s head facing left wearing a feathered headdress. Directly under the Indian head in the date along the rim and arching above at the rim is “LIBERTY”. Thirteen stars encircle the rest of the coins along the rim; six on the left and seven along the right.
1912 Indian Head Half Eagle reverse
The reverse has a standing bald eagle facing left. The eagle stands on a bundle of arrows with an olive branch wrapped around it. “FIVE.DOLLARS” arcs along the base directly under the arrows. Above and arching along the rim encircling the top of the coin is “UNITED.STATES.OF.AMERICA”. On the right center and stacked is “IN GOD WE TRUST” and similarly the left is “E PLURIBUS UNUM”.
The Indian Head Half Eagle gold coins were minted in Philadelphia with no mint mark, Denver with the “D” mint mark, San Francisco with its “S” mintmark, and New Orleans having its “O” mint mark. The mint marks are located on the lower left of the coin. Since the mint marks were struck in the normal convention as opposed to being recessed they are more susceptible to wear.
Half and Two Quarter Eagle - size comparison with pocket change
The incused design can be harder to grade. Not only are the coin’s features protected because they are sunken into the surface of the coin but lack of familiarity with such designs also can contribute to difficulties. It is suggested to look at the Indian’s check and headdress feathers for the traditional signs of wear, and the eagle’s wing feathers for grading the reverse.
Some of the key dates are the 1909-O and 1911-D. The 1929 strikes are a true rarity. The US stock market crash marked the nation’s Great Depression all United States gold coins that were not released into circulation were held in the US Mints vaults and melted down in 1934 along with the gold that was reclaimed, under emergency legislation, from all US banks including the Federal Reserve Banks, and the US citizens.
