The Indian Head Half Eagle represents the unique redesign of the $5 gold coin. Instead of striking the coins to have raised design elements and inscriptions, these coins were struck with an incuse design, which is impressed below the surface of the planchet. Although this was unpopular with some at the time, it makes the series uniquely popular with modern collectors. The composition of the coins was the standard 90% gold used at the time with the diamter and weight specifications used for the design that preceded it. The Indian Half Eagle series was struck continuously from 1908 to 1916, but then not produced again until the final year in 1929. Coins were produced at four different mints, although there is not a single year when all four mints produced the denomination.
Indian Head Half Eagle Coin Specifications
| Dates: |
1908 - 1929 |
| Mints: |
Philadelphia |
|
Denver |
|
New Orleans |
|
San Francisco |
| Composition: |
90% gold |
|
10% copper |
| Weight: |
8.36 grams |
|
0.27 ounces |
| Diameter: |
21.54 mm |
|
0.85 inches |
half eagles indian
The Bronze Indian Head Cent was the second composition used for the Indian Cent series, the prior composition used copper-nickel. The new bronze composition was lighter and easier to strike. It was composed predominantly of copper with a mixture of tin and zinc. The other aspects of the Indian Cent composition were also changed slightly, resulting in slightly smaller diameter and thickness for the bronze coins. This composition was used during 1864 along side the copper-nickel composition, and for all subsequent years of the series. The same bronze composition was also used for the Lincoln Cent series almost uninterrupted until the replacement with a zinc based composition during 1982.
Bronze Indian Head Cent Coin Specifications
| Dates: |
1864-1909 |
| Mints: |
Philadelphia |
|
San Francisco |
| Composition: |
95% copper |
|
5% tin and zinc |
| Weight: |
3.11 grams |
|
0.10 ounces |
| Diameter: |
19.05 mm |
|
0.75 inches |
cents indian
The Copper Indian Head Cent was the first composition of the Indian Cent series. The composition was actually composed of 88% copper and 12% nickel, the same composition used for the prior Flying Eagle Cents. The composition was used for the first five years of the new Indian Head Cent series before changing to the bronze composition which would remain in use for nearly one hundred years. The composition was changed since the copper-nickel based version proved to be hard and difficult to strike.
Copper Indian Head Cent Coin Specifications
| Dates: |
1859-1864 |
| Mints: |
Philadelphia |
| Composition: |
88% copper |
|
12% nickel |
| Weight: |
4.67 grams |
|
0.15 ounces |
| Diameter: |
19.30 mm |
|
0.76 inches |
cents indian