The $10 Gold Indian Eagle Coin was struck by the United States Mint continuously from 1907 through 1916, and then irregularly until 1933. Both the Gold Indian Eagle’s obverse and reverse were designed by legendary sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens who’s work has appeared on some of the most beautiful coins in history. The designs were originally commissioned for use on other denominations of coins, however President Roosevelt liked them so much he decided they should appear on the $10 Gold Eagle. Saint-Gaudens was suffering from cancer leading up to the release of the $10 Indian Gold Eagle and passed away just a few months prior to it entering into circulation in November of 1907. The obverse of the $10 Gold Indian Eagle bears the left-facing portrait of Liberty donning a feathered headdress which was originally intended for the one-cent piece. Also appearing on the obverse are the inscriptions, “LIBERTY” across the band of the headdress, the year of mintage below the portrait, and 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies. The $10 Gold Indian’s reverse bears the standing eagle with arrows and olive branch surrounded by the inscriptions, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, “E PLURIBUS UNUM”, and “TEN DOLLARS”. On the edge of the coins there were originally forty-six stars, one for each State at the time, and after the admission of New Mexico and Arizona as states in 1912, the number of stars on the edge was increased to 48. Another change to the coin’s design happened in mid-1908 when the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” was added to the reverse side following public outrage that it was missing from the original issue. $10 Indian Eagle Coins without “In God We Trust” on the reverse side are referred to as “No Motto” coins, and those that were minted with the motto are known as “With Motto” coins. On the “No Motto” pieces struck at the Denver Mint in 1908, the mint mark “D” appears above the leaves near the eagle’s feet on the reverse, however on the pieces with motto struck both at Denver (D) and at San Francisco (S) beginning in 1908, the mint mark appears to the left of the arrowheads. Gold $10 Indian Head eagles that were minted at the U.S. Philadelphia mint do not contain a mint mark at all. The composition of these Indian Gold Eagle coins is 90% gold and 10% copper, each coin containing approximately 0.48375 troy oz of pure gold. The coin pictured is an example of the quality of the coin you will receive, not the exact coin. The coin(s) you receive will be chosen at random from available inventory.

Pre-1933 Gold Coins are highly sought after for their historical significance as well as their beauty. In 1933 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102 “forbidding the hoarding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates within the continental United States.” Owning and possessing monetary gold became a crime as the order required monetary gold to be returned to a Federal Reserve Bank branch for fiat paper money. The order was issued a month after Presidential Proclamation 2039 that forbid the hoarding of gold or silver coin or bullion under penalty of fine and/or imprisonment up to ten years! Thereafter, the Gold Reserve Act of 1939 codified Roosevelt’s order and it imposed new civil penalties; many individuals were in fact prosecuted for possession of gold under these laws. As a result, vast quantities of gold coins were turned in, taken out of circulation, and melted. Today, collectors prize pre-1933 US Gold Coins for not only each coins unique design and rarity but also for its symbolism for those that retained the gold coins and rejected governmental imposed fiat money.

Jewelry Grade coins may show some wear, signs of cleaning or previous use in jewelry. This however makes jewelry grade coins one of the most affordable ways to purchase genuine pre-1933 gold.