1908 Indian Quarter Eagle

HBCC#:

1015

Breen#:

6330

BD#:

n/a

Judd#:

n/a

Pollock#:

n/a

Indian quarter eagles and half eagles are unique among American coinage, having sunken relief design elements. The blank open fields are the highest point of these coins. Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt prepared this creative style at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt as a continuation of the coinage redesign program started by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Proof examples, struck with a matte finish, were extremely unpopular when issued and are quite rare today. Just 236 such coins were struck and many melted soon after. Perhaps 75 or 80 survive today.

Provenance:

Purchased from New Netherlands Coin Co., August 17, 1966.

Obverse:

Incuse Indian Head and inscriptions by sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt.

Reverse:

Incuse eagle and inscriptions by sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt.

Commentary: