$5 · Gold · Circulating
Indian Head Half Eagle
The larger of Bela Lyon Pratt's two recessed-design gold coins and the only classic half eagle struck at four mints in its first year.
- Designer
- Bela Lyon Pratt
- Classic dates
- 1908–1916 and 1929
- Mint facilities
- Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, and San Francisco
01 · Overview
Why the Indian Head Half Eagle matters
Bela Lyon Pratt's five-dollar design shares its recessed-device construction with the Indian Head quarter eagle but has a broader planchet and a different pattern of field contact. It was struck from 1908 through 1916 and once more in 1929.
A date set crosses Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and a single New Orleans issue. Mintmark authentication, field preservation, and the distinction between original luster and processed surfaces recur throughout the series.
02 · Design
Reading the design
Recessed devices on a broad field
The portrait and eagle are incuse while the field is high. Marks concentrate differently than on conventional raised-relief gold.
Raised mintmarks
Branch-mint letters project above the field. Their shape, position, and surrounding metal are important diagnostics.
03 · Specifications
Nominal issue specifications
- Denomination
- $5
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Nominal weight
- 8.359 g
- Diameter
- 21.6 mm
- Edge
- Reeded
- Series dates
- 1908–1916 and 1929
Nominal specifications describe regular classic issues. Patterns, proofs, special strikes, production tolerances, and later commemorative or modern versions may differ.
04 · Grading population
How many have been certified at each grade
No static census copied here. Full grade-by-grade counts change and are not republished without the exact issue, service, strike, designation, source, and as-of date. Use the official tools below; verified figures for an individual Nucoins coin appear on that coin's listing.
Population reports count submissions certified by a grading service. They do not count every surviving coin, and a series-wide total is not a substitute for the exact date, mint, variety, strike, designation, and grade. Nucoins listings show the population in the listed grade and the number graded higher when those figures have been checked against an official report.
- Population in grade
- Coins recorded by that service for the exact issue and assigned grade.
- Higher / finer
- Coins recorded by the same service in numerically higher applicable grades.
- Report date
- The date the figure was checked; counts can change after submissions, resubmissions, and database updates.
05 · Issue map
The series in stages
01 · 1908–1909
Four-mint opening
The design appeared at Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and—only in 1909—New Orleans.
02 · 1910–1916
Regular production
Philadelphia and western branch issues show meaningful differences in strike and high-grade availability.
03 · 1929
Final issue
A large recorded mintage was followed by extensive melting; mintage is not a survival count.
Notable issue checkpoints
Production figures describe coins struck, not coins surviving or certified. Linked issue records provide the context for each figure.
06 · Examination
What photographs should help you examine
Obverse
Field continuity
Look for original luster across the high field and evaluate marks separately from portrait detail.
Reverse
Eagle and arrows
Check feathers, shoulder, arrows, and the surrounding field for friction or processing.
Edge / holder
Mintmark integrity
For O, D, and S issues, compare the raised mintmark with known position and style.
07 · Before buying
Questions the listing should answer
01
Separate metal value from numismatic value
The coin contains a known nominal amount of gold, but its market value can also reflect date, mint, variety, survival, grade, surface quality, and demand. A gold calculation is a useful reference point, not a complete valuation method.
02
Read the holder and the coin
Confirm the grading service, grade, certification number, and any documented designation, then examine the photographs independently. A third-party grade is an attributed opinion; it does not replace a review of color, luster, marks, and surface originality.
03
Treat cleaning and damage separately from wear
Circulation wear is only one part of condition. Cleaning, polishing, scratches, rim damage, mount removal, tooling, and altered surfaces can materially change how a coin is described and valued even when substantial design detail remains.
08 · Sources
Primary references
This guide is educational and intentionally type-level. Issue-specific attribution, mintage, certification, and condition should be verified for the individual coin.