United States · United States Mint

1912 Indian Head quarter eagle

Philadelphia .900 gold quarter eagle, 1912, with no mint mark. Bela Lyon Pratt’s incuse Indian Head design. No serial, and unslabbed.

Catalog facts

Year: 1912
Mint: Philadelphia (no mint mark)
Denomination: 2.50 dollars (quarter eagle)
Composition: Gold .900 (90% Au, 10% Cu)
Weight: 4.18 g
Diameter: 18 mm
Edge: Reeded
Condition: Unslabbed (private collection)
References: KM# 128 · PCGS# 7944 · N# 6158

Obverse, 2.50 dollars 1912 — Obverse: left-facing bust in a feathered headdress; LIBERTY; thirteen stars; 1912.

Obverse: left-facing bust in a feathered headdress; LIBERTY; thirteen stars; 1912.

Reverse, 2.50 dollars 1912 — Reverse: eagle on arrows and an olive branch; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; E PLURIBUS UNUM; IN GOD WE TRUST; 2½ DOLLARS. No mint mark.

Reverse: eagle on arrows and an olive branch; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; E PLURIBUS UNUM; IN GOD WE TRUST; 2½ DOLLARS. No mint mark.

The coin

This piece is the 1912 2.50-dollar quarter eagle from the Philadelphia mint, with no mint mark. The obverse is by Bela Lyon Pratt: a left-facing bust in a feathered headdress, LIBERTY, thirteen stars, and the date 1912. The reverse carries a standing eagle facing left on arrows and an olive branch, E PLURIBUS UNUM, IN GOD WE TRUST, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and 2½ DOLLARS. The relief is incuse: the design sits below the field. Numista includes the initials B.L.P. in the type legend; they are not transcribed from this photograph. No mint letter is visible. The piece is raw, with no holder. It is not Pratt’s 5-dollar half eagle. PCGS separates the 1912 business strike (7944) from the proofs (7961): this record does not identify the example as a proof.

Legends

Obverse: LIBERTY · thirteen stars · 1912. Numista includes B.L.P. in the type legend; those initials are not transcribed from this photograph.
Reverse: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA · E PLURIBUS UNUM · IN GOD WE TRUST · 2½ DOLLARS. No mint mark.

History

The quarter eagle is one quarter of the 10-dollar eagle, a denomination of the Coinage Act of 2 April 1792. The Indian Head type, in incuse relief, is by Bela Lyon Pratt and was struck from 1908 to 1929. The same sculptor designed the 5-dollar half eagle of that relief. This record describes the object in the collection; it does not value the issue.

The 1908–1929 type has its own page.

Scarcity and type

PCGS CoinFacts gives 616,000 Philadelphia business strikes for 1912 (PCGS# 7944). CoinWeek adds 197 proofs, which PCGS numbers separately (7961). Those figures belong to the type and date, not to a census of this example. This record publishes neither a slab census nor a price.

Certification

The example is raw, with no NGC, PCGS, or other holder. This module carries no serial number. The identity of this record is the photographed object — date 1912, no mint mark, headdress and eagle — not a certificate. If it is later slabbed, the cert number will replace this note.

Sources

PCGS CoinFacts — 1912 2.50 dollars, business strike (7944) (opens in a new tab)
Bela Lyon Pratt; reeded edge; 18 mm; 4.18 g; Philadelphia; 90% gold and 10% copper; 616,000 business strikes. Prices are not republished.
Numista — 2½ dollars Indian Head, quarter eagle (N# 6158) (opens in a new tab)
KM# 128; 1908–1929; .900 gold; 4.18 g; 18 mm; reeded edge; incuse relief; type legend with B.L.P.
CoinWeek — 1912 Indian Head quarter eagle guide (opens in a new tab)
616,000 business strikes and 197 proofs. The incuse relief is Pratt’s, shared with the 5-dollar half eagle. Prices and population censuses are not republished.