History
The Indian Head quarter eagle was introduced in 1908 as part of President Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign to make American coinage more artistic. Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt designed it, working from an idea proposed by Roosevelt’s friend Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow.
Its design is incuse: struck into the coin’s surface instead of standing out from it. No other U.S. coin type has been made this way, apart from the matching $5 half eagle. Critics said the sunken areas would collect dirt, but the design stayed in use from 1908 to 1915 and from 1925 to 1929. It was the last quarter eagle made for circulation.
Design
The obverse shows a Native American man facing left, wearing a feathered headdress. “LIBERTY” appears above, with thirteen stars around the edge and the date below.
The reverse shows a standing eagle perched on a bundle of arrows and an olive branch. It carries “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the denomination “2½ DOLLARS.” The edge is reeded.
This coin
The 1908 quarter eagle was struck at Philadelphia with a mintage of 564,821. As the first year of a new and controversial design, many were saved as souvenirs. Made of 90% gold, each coin contains 0.1209 troy ounces of pure gold.
This coin is certified by NGC as UNC Details, certification number 8710655-021.
