$2.50 · Gold · Circulating
Indian Head Quarter Eagle
A distinctive incuse-design quarter eagle whose devices and inscriptions are recessed below the coin's field.
- Designer
- Bela Lyon Pratt
- Classic dates
- 1908–1915 and 1925–1929
- Mint facilities
- Philadelphia and Denver
01 · Overview
Why the Indian Head Quarter Eagle matters
Bela Lyon Pratt's quarter eagle replaced the conventional raised-relief layout with devices recessed below the field. Introduced in 1908, the series paused after 1915 and returned from 1925 through 1929.
Because the field is the highest broad surface, contact appears differently than it does on raised-relief coinage. Field abrasions, wear within the recessed design, strike quality, and luster must be evaluated separately.
02 · Design
Reading the design
Incuse portrait and devices
The portrait, lettering, eagle, and principal devices are sunk below the field. Mintmarks remain raised and deserve close inspection.
Field-first examination
The open field receives contact before recessed details. Assessment begins with field preservation and luster, then moves into the headdress, cheek, eagle, and arrows.
03 · Specifications
Nominal issue specifications
- Denomination
- $2.50
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Nominal weight
- 4.18 g
- Diameter
- 18.0 mm
- Edge
- Reeded
- Series dates
- 1908–1915 and 1925–1929
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 · 1908–1915
First production period
Philadelphia and Denver issues establish the principal date set, including the key 1911-D.
02 · 1916–1924
Ten-year interruption
No quarter eagles of the type were struck.
03 · 1925–1929
Final production period
The design returned at Philadelphia and Denver before federal circulating gold coinage ended.
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
High field and recessed portrait
Compare uninterrupted field luster with friction on the cheek, headdress, and recessed devices.
Reverse
Eagle shoulder and feathers
Inspect the eagle, arrows, and field for cleaning, dullness, and handling.
Edge / holder
Raised mintmark
Verify the D mintmark's shape, position, and relationship to the field.
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.