1912 Indian Head Half Eagle

About This Coin

The 1912 Indian Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Indian Head Half Eagles 1908-1929 series — 5th of 10 years in the series. In 1912, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of 1.6 million. This ranks 7th of 10 years by total mintage, above the series median of 1.2 million. The obverse features a Native American chief wearing a feathered headdress, designed in incuse (sunken) relief — a revolutionary departure from traditional raised relief coinage and the reverse displays a standing eagle on a bundle of arrows with an olive branch, in incuse (sunken) relief. Philadelphia and San Francisco production. The half eagle was the workhorse gold denomination. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 21.6 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Produced 4 years before the celebrated 1916 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.4K to $22K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $312K in MS65 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Bela Lyon Pratt.