Description
Sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt was recommended to
President Theodore Roosevelt by his good friend Dr. William S. Bigelow
to design the $2.50 and $5 Indian Head gold coins. Although Pratt was
not as renowned as his mentor,
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to some it
seemed logical to entrust the two coins to a younger, more contemporary
artist.
Design
The obverse pictures an Indian Chief, the first
true American Indian ever to appear on United States coinage.
Previously, Caucasian models dressed in American Indian attire were
used. The chief on the Indian Head is wearing a full-feathered
headdress with the word 'Liberty' inscribed on the headband. A border
of thirteen stars and the minting date encircle him.
The reverse features a proud bald eagle standing among olive
branches, surrounded by the words 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA'. The motto
'In God We Trust', and the denomination also appear on the reverse.
Minting Information
What sets the $2.5 and $5 Indian
Head gold coins apart from other United States coins is that they were
the first (and only) U.S. coins to use the technique known as incuse
relief This technique gives the design elements and lettering a
sunken-in appearance on a uniformly flat plane. This technique caused
some controversy during its time in circulation, before modern
medicine, people thought that the sunken design would act as a breeding
ground of disease.
| Detailed Coin Information |
| Designer: Bela Lyon Pratt |
| Gross Weight: 4.18g |
Gold Content: 0.12094 oz. |
| Composition: 90% gold, 10% copper |
| Diameter: 18mm |
Edge: Reeded |
| Dates: 1908-15; 1925-29 |
| Mints: Denver (1911; 1914; 1925), Philadelphia (all dates) |
