What You Need To Know:

• Native American designs have remained very popular in the coin-collecting community.

• Native Americans have graced the lowest and among the highest denominations of American coinage.

• Highly graded examples of these coins have very high premiums, especially if they’re naturally toned with appealing colors.

• This guide is for beginners, but veteran collectors are welcome to read it as a refresher. History buffs are welcome as well.

The United States, despite being a relatively new country in terms of history and influence, has an extensive catalog of coin designs. Every denomination from cents to the $20 gold coin has had a redesign to usher in a new direction or philosophy that the United States was headed. Many modern designs have honored American leaders such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson. While this has also been true in the past, the United States also commissioned many designs to honor the Native American tribes and historical figures. 

Withholding commemorative or bullion coinage, Native Americans have appeared on the proud and center of denominations small and large. This work will examine the history behind the design, the numismatic appeal, and the legacy in the community of collectors. Along with a history of United States monetary policy and coinage acts that led to the existence of these designs. I will also be referring to the coins by their names associated with the numismatic community so that people will be able to differentiate easier. For any reference to grading or grading services, PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) and NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company) will be used. They are the most reliable and respected grading companies in the world, and having the coin graded by them can bring the value up instantly. All of the pictures featured in this article will likely be from PCGS or NGC unless they are from my collection or to highlight a specific instance of something.

Introduced in 1859, the Indian Head Cent was created by James Barton Longacre because of the difficulty in producing the previous design, along with the high inflation of the California gold rush. The front features Lady Liberty in a Native American style headdress, along with the reverse including arrows under the “one cent” motif. Examples were made in the Philadelphia and the San Francisco mint, with San Francisco making the coins after the introduction of the bronze composition. Until 1857, the United States made cents out of pure copper while also being of a much larger size. Every cent produced since 1857 has had a diameter of 19mm and a weight of 3.11 grams. The large cents were 28.5mm and weighed over 10 grams. The cost of creating the large cents was no longer justifiable, which is why the Indian head cent provided a compromise in design and costs. 

The production of Indian Head cents continued until 1909 when it was replaced by the Lincoln cent that is still in production today. Because of the demand and growing population of the United States, the mintages reached over 100 million in 1907 alone. Graded or high-grade pieces aren’t the most scarce, but they will run higher prices depending on the mintage figures and if it has a bright red copper toning. They have remained popular among collectors for many years, and the appeal of the first Native American tribute on United States coinage will never cease among avid collectors of cents.

A design that has been used by the United States for commemorative and bullion coinage must be revered. That’s what makes the Buffalo Nickel (although it displays an American bison) so special. As a part of an initiative originally from Theodore Roosevelt to diversify and create prettier coinage, sculptor James Earle Fraser created this design that was released into circulation in 1913. Under coinage law, the coin had to be struck for 25 years and was struck until 1938. Examples were made in Philadelphia, Denver, and the San Francisco mint. It was replaced by the first design of the Jefferson nickel that was minted until 2003. 

The front was inspired by multiple Native American chiefs, with Iron Tail, Big Tree, and Two Moons of the Sioux, Kiowa, and Cheyenne tribes, respectively. The reverse was said to be inspired by a bison named Black Diamond, who lived at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Black Diamond was also said to be featured on the ten-dollar bill, although both are still unconfirmed. It would have been interesting to see a silver specimen of this design, but every nickel the United States has produced has been made of nickel, the element. 

To obtain a buffalo nickel in average circulation is not a feat, but there are some pricey errors, including the famous three-legged buffalo error from 1937. This resulted from the dye being scrubbed so harshly. Specimens in high grades with lower mintage dates can fetch higher prices as well, but these beauties can be purchased at affordable prices most of the time.

After 1981 (except for the striking of Susan B. Anthony dollars in 1999), the United States minted ceased the production of dollar coins for circulation or for collectors. The passage of Public Law 105–124 in 1997, however, stated the following. 

“The dollar coin shall be golden in color, have a distinctive edge, have tactile and visual features that make the denomination of the coin readily discernible, be minted and fabricated in the United States, and have similar metallic, anti-counter-feiting properties as United States coinage in circulation on the date of enactment of the United States $1 Coin Act of 1997.’’. 

This birthed the creation of the Sacagawea Dollar coin, which was released into circulation in 2000. Featuring the portrait of the aforementioned Native American guide for Lewis and Clark by Glenna Goodacre on the front, and a soaring bald eagle by Thomas D. Rogers on the back, this design would stay the same until 2008. Commemorative designs have been used on the back ever since 2009. Uncirculated examples have been made at the Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco mint, with the San Francisco mint making proof and reverse proof examples exclusively. 

The coin widely circulated within the first couple of years, but quickly fell out of popularity. The wide circulation and ease of storage of the one-dollar bill likely had a cause for the minimal usage. However, countries that use the United States dollar as their currency, such as countries in Latin America, use the coins in everyday transactions. The mintage of over a billion coins in the year 2000 led to a giveaway in Cheerios boxes, and some of those specimens have become valuable for the differences in the reverse of the eagle. The feathers of the bird have much finer lines than the circulation coins. They’ve become a collector's item for anyone who collects Sacagawea dollars. 

While this is the only instance of modern coinage in this article, the Sacagawea dollar is to continue being made until at least 2024. The future will hold the next coin honoring Native Americans and their contributions to the history of the United States.

The modern dollar coin might be colored gold, but 19th and 20th-century gold coins had the composition to back up the color. The Quarter Eagle and Half Eagle were staples of the United States gold coinage since they were authorized for creation and circulation in the coinage act of 1792. 

The act states, “And be it further enacted, That there shall be from time to time struck and coined at the said mint, coins of gold, silver, and copper, of the following denominations, values, and descriptions, EAGLES—each to be of the value of ten dollars or units, and to contain two hundred and forty-seven grains and four-eighths of a grain of pure, or two hundred and seventy grains of standard gold. HALF EAGLES—each to be of the value of five dollars, and to contain one hundred and twenty-three grains and six-eighths of a grain of pure, or one hundred and thirty-five grains of standard gold. QUARTER EAGLES—each to be of the value of two dollars and a half dollar, and to contain sixty-one grains and seven-eighths of a grain of pure, or sixty-seven grains and four-eighths of a grain of standard gold”. 

The demand for more circulating gold coinage was only heightened by the passing of the Gold Standard Act of 1900. The act fixed the price of gold to $20.67 per troy ounce and allowed the redemption of gold certificate notes in exchange for gold on demand at banks and the United States treasury. This act continued the law until President Franklin Roosevelt took the United States off the gold standard in 1933 (more on Executive Order 6102 later in the article), and President Richard Nixon ended the exchange of gold for paper currency in 1971.

Designed by Bela Lyon Pratt and released into circulation in 1908, the Indian quarter and half gold eagles share the same design for two denominations. Examples were both made in Philadelphia and Denver, and the half-eagle having also been made in San Francisco and the New Orleans mint. The New Orleans mint would be closed in 1909, making the half-eagle one of the last coins the mint produced. 

The front features a Native American depicted in a war headdress, inspired by chief Hollow Horn Bear. The back depicts a stunning bald eagle perched on a bundle of twigs. The most interesting design choice is that this is the only incuse coin ever released for circulation in the United States. An incuse coin puts the details below the surface rather than protruding above. This unique design choice helps the detail shine for longer periods, however, it was not without controversy.

The outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1918 was devastating to the global population, killing between 25-50 million around the world. The incuse design was falsely attributed to carrying more germs than other circulation coinage. Many were melted after the recall of private ownership of gold because of the false stigma behind them. 

The aforementioned controversy, along with their use in many types of jewelry, has made them highly sought after in higher grades or lower grades. The number of specimens that were melted down in 1933 is unknown, but since these were smaller denomination gold coins with smaller mintages, it is suggested that there will be a high cost indefinitely. In particular, if they’re verified by grading. The quarter eagle’s mintages never exceeded a million throughout its circulation history. The half eagle had larger mintages, but coming across any date with an ungraded mint state quality strike is difficult. If one is ever able to find these at a decent price, do not hesitate to buy them. They’re wonderful in hand and a wonderful investment to have if you’re a history buff or a gold collector. Indian quarter and half eagles never go out of style.

The creation of the last coin showcased can be linked directly to a letter written by previously mentioned President Theodore Roosevelt. He wrote, “I think the state of our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness. Would it be possible, without asking permission of Congress, to employ a man like (Augustus) Saint-Gaudens to give us a coinage which would have some beauty?” Saint-Gaudens, a famed sculptor known for his work on statues commemorating the American Civil War, took on the task. He designed two pieces, the $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, and the last $10 gold eagle, known as the Indian Head Gold Eagle.

Depicted on the front is a new design of Lady Liberty in a Native feather headdress, and the back depicts a bald eagle standing on a sheaf of arrows with an olive branch wrapped around the sheaf. The design of the eagle was lifted from President Roosevelt’s second-term inauguration medal, which was also designed by Saint-Gaudens. The edge has the number of stars dedicated to the number of states in the union. 46 stars from 1908 to 1911, and 48 stars from 1912 to 1933 with the admittance of New Mexico and Arizona, respectively. 

The coin was struck yearly from 1907 to 1916, and irregularly from 1920-1933, with examples being made in Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco. The Philadelphia mint made a small number of proof examples. The mintage of the 1933 date is misleading, as most were melted when Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102. This order came after the signing of the Emergency Banking Act of 1933, which was created to help America slowly move out of the Great Depression, and put a limit on private ownership of gold among American citizens. Only around 40 examples of the 1933 date exist today.

As with the quarter and half eagles, this coin also had controversy when it was first released in circulation, albeit for different reasons. The phrase, In God We Trust, was “first added to U.S. coins during the beginning of the Civil War, when religious sentiment was on an upswing and concerned Americans wanted the world to know what their country stood for. Many wrote to Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase on the matter, and he agreed with their arguments. Congress passed his act requesting the addition of “In God We Trust,” adapted from a lesser-known verse of Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner,” and the first two-cent coin with the phrase was minted in 1864 (Begley, 2016). The pieces dated 1907 and some 1908 do not contain the phrase, and public outcry prompted congress to pass a bill to include it on the coins. The rest struck in 1908 and beyond include the phrase. Though the controversy was small compared to the quarter and half eagles, it is still important to the coin’s history nonetheless.

Renowned by collectors for their design and beauty, these coins carry large premiums regardless of condition. “No motto” specimens always carry prestige and high prices from well circulated to mint state. Finding one is the hardest part of the journey. Post-1908 gold eagles are not abundant, but it will be an easier journey than the former. Ungraded coins in circulation conditions easily fetch prices that are hundreds of dollars over the pure gold price. Graded by PCGS or NGC can get higher depending on the rarity of the date or mint, with any coin in BU (brilliant uncirculated) condition could bring in double the value of the precious metal content, which is nearly half a troy ounce of gold (16.718 grams). United States gold is never a bad investment based on how popular it is, and this being one of the most popular coins ever made by the United States mint means there will always be a market. This very well could be the highlight of anyone’s collection.

The best advice given to me when I first started collecting was a simple sentence that has stuck with me ever since. “Collect what you like.” It’s a simple way of communicating, but it is true. Some people have collections of certain countries, metals, eras of history, or commemorative events. Native American coinage has a niche in the collector market that is strong, and its historical significance of them in the scope of United States history has broadened the appeal to not just coin collectors and metal stackers, but many new collectors as well. As an American, coins from your home country are the most abundant. I hope that a collector, domestic or foreign, gained something from this historical guide and knowledge of Native American coinage. Along with being able to see their beauty magnified with the wonderful descriptive words and pictures showcased.

Works and References Cited:

• Begley, Sarah. “How 'in God We Trust' Got on the Currency in the First Place.” Time, Time, 13 Jan. 2016, https://time.com/4179685/in-god-we-trust-currency-history/.

• “The History of the Sacagawea Dollar.” Coincollecting.com, 24 Sept. 2021, https://www.coincollecting.com/the-history-of-the-sacagawea-dollar.

• Bailey, Kendall. “President Roosevelt Seeks Beautiful American Coinage.” Littleton Coin Company Blog, 21 June 2018, https://blog.littletoncoin.com/beautiful-american-coinage/.

• Hengefeld, Dennis. “The Design of the Buffalo Nickel.” Coin Update, 24 Feb. 2012, https://news.coinupdate.com/the-design-of-the-buffalo-nickel-1231/.

• “Indian Head Cents (1859-1909): Complete Coin Guide.” Indian Head Cents | 1859-1909 Indian Head Cents, My Coin Guides, 2 Feb. 2022, https://indianheadcent.org/.

• “Bela Lyon Pratt.” USA Coin Book, https://www.usacoinbook.com/encyclopedia/coin-designers/bela-lyon-pratt/.

• “Augustus Saint Gaudens.” USA Coin Book, https://www.usacoinbook.com/encyclopedia/coin-designers/augustus-saint-gaudens/.

• “Indian Head $10 (1907-1933).” U.S. Gold Coin Melt Values | Gold Coin Prices | NGC Coin Melt Value, https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/series-detail.aspx?MVDetailID=27&Series=Indian-Head-%2410.