Champion Rarities

1911-D $2.50 Indian Head Gold - A Rare Key Date Head-Turner

The $2.50 Indian Head Gold Quarter Eagle is one of the most popular classic gold coins in numismatics today. It's a gorgeous coin, and its history and unique design make this coin a real standout in the classic U.S. Gold market.

The Indian Head Quarter Eagle was designed by Bela Lyon Pratt, the student of famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. President Roosevelt planned to have Saint-Gaudens redesign America's $2.50 and $5 gold pieces, but unfortunately, Saint-Gaudens passed away before this could happen, and Bela Lyon Pratt stepped up in his place.

At this time, the U.S. Mints had a hard time reproducing the inscriptions on the Saint-Gaudens design concepts on smaller denominations. President Roosevelt convinced then Mint Director Frank Leach to use a design similar to that of Saint-Gaudens $10 Indian Head Eagle, but instead, strike the design below the coin's surface to create a high-relief effect that could be more easily replicated on the smaller denomination gold coins.

This was a unique and innovative design approach, and to date, the $2.50 and $5 Indian Head gold coins are the only circulated United States coins struck with the incused (sunken) format.

Another reason the $2.50 Indian Head Gold Quarter Eagle series is so popular with collectors is the fact that it is the only U.S. gold coin series that can be affordably completed. Every other United States Gold coin series has at least one majority rarity, or "stopper" coin, beyond the means of the average collector.

For instance, the $5 Indian Head gold coin series has two "stopper" coins, the 1909-O and the 1929, that can't be acquired for less than $10,000 in any grade! This is why $2.50 Indian Head gold coins are in such demand. Not only are they highly unique and gorgeous, but their affordable price appeals to a broad range of gold buyers.

The Key Date Of The Series

The United States Mint began striking $2.50 Indian Head Quarter Eagles in 1908. In 1915, the U.S. Mint stopped production due to the gold shortages from WWI. Production of the series resumed in 1925 and then ended in 1929.

Out of all of these dates of Indian Head Quarter Eagles that were released, the 1911-D is by far the rarest and one of the most sought after. Only 55,680 of these coins were minted in Denver, making it nearly four times as rare as the 1914 which is the next closest lowest minted Quarter Eagle. Generally, Indian Head quarter eagles were minted in the range of 400,000 to 700,000 coins per year. This low mintage for this coin was due to a lack of demand at the time, causing the Denver Mint to focus on other coins, but the result is a rare and precious coin that any smart collector seeks to add to their collection today.

Only a small percentage of the 55,680 coins that were originally struck in 1911 have survived today in Mint-State condition. To own one of these coins means that not only are you owning a valuable piece of gold, but that you are preserving a precious and rare piece of history. Generally speaking, 1911-D Quarter Eagles have been very smart acquisitions for gold collectors in the past, and with gold prices rising and with more and more classic U.S. gold coin collectors entering the market everyday, this key coin will certainly be increasingly difficult to locate.