Liberty Head Eagle — $10
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
United States • 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
Issue years: 1838–1907
Fine gold: 0.483750 troy oz
United States • 10 U.S. dollars
$10 Indian Head Gold Eagle
The $10 Indian Head Gold Eagle has nominal fine gold of 0.48375 troy oz (15.046307 g) at the historical .900 standard. This ten-dollar eagle has a raised-relief design, distinct from the incuse $2.50 and $5 Indian Head gold coins and from the $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. The photographed example is a 1908 motto issue.
National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History; photograph by Jaclyn Nash; paired photograph separated and resized · Image source · Public domain — U.S. federal Smithsonian photograph
National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History; photograph by Jaclyn Nash; paired photograph separated and resized · Image source · Public domain — U.S. federal Smithsonian photograph
When a fresh spot bid is available, melt values use fine-metal content × spot bid. CashForCoins guide buying offers use the separately configured percentage for each metal. Selected rare/numismatic coins require an appraisal. Dollar amounts remain unavailable when a fresh quote or buying percentage is missing.
Verified coin specifications
- Country
- United States
- Face denomination
- 10 U.S. dollars
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
- Gross weight (grams)
- 16.71811878
- Fineness
- 0.9
- Fine-metal weight (troy oz)
- 0.48375
- Diameter (mm)
- 26.8
- Edge
- Raised Stars
- Mint
- United States Mint; mint facility varies by issue
- Mint mark
- Varies by issue; inspect reference
- Issue years
- 1907–1916, 1920, 1926, 1930, 1932–1933
The later dates are intermittent, rather than an uninterrupted 1907–1933 sequence. Motto and rim designs overlap some dates.
- Source precision
- Nominal 258-grain gross standard; .900 gold; exact modern unit conversion stored to 8 decimals; fine-weight override derived from historical standard. Catalog reference diameter, not a tolerance or authentication threshold.
Calculate this coin’s metal content
Formula: specified fine-metal troy ounces × quantity. Dollar melt value additionally requires an approved current metal price.
Obverse: identify the front
Liberty faces left in a feathered headdress, with LIBERTY on the headband, stars above and 1908 below. The facial treatment and raised relief differ from the incuse Native American portrait on the smaller denominations.
Reverse: identify the back
The eagle stands on arrows and a branch above TEN DOLLARS. IN GOD WE TRUST appears at the left on the 1908 representative; E PLURIBUS UNUM appears at the right. Initial no-motto issues have a different inscription state.
History and purpose
The Mint attributes the $10 Indian Head design to Augustus Saint-Gaudens, distinguishing it from Pratt’s smaller Indian Head coins. The series begins in 1907. The museum’s 1908 reverse demonstrates that motto attribution must be reviewed by actual issue, not inferred from a simplified date rule.
How to identify this variant
Read TEN DOLLARS and match the raised-relief Liberty headdress. The reviewed reference gives 26.8 mm diameter and a raised-star edge. The edge is not visible in these two face photographs and must be inspected separately on an actual coin.
Understanding its metal content
The historical standard is 258 grains gross at .900 fineness. Multiply 258 by .900 and divide by 480 grains per troy ounce: 0.48375 fine-gold troy oz. Gross metric mass is derived using 0.06479891 g per grain; the displayed 16.71811878 g is a conversion of the nominal standard, not an assay or the measured mass of a worn coin. The remaining 10% is alloy metal; historical legislation permitted copper or a copper/silver alloy.
Dates, varieties and composition changes
The 1907–1933 series includes no-motto and motto forms; both are represented among 1908 issues. A claimed unusual final-year or special-relief coin needs expert issue attribution. This guide makes no current ownership or legal-status determination.
Melt value versus collector value
Keep exceptional dates, holder labels and provenance intact. A larger portrait or raised-star edge is an identification observation, not a certified grade or market-value claim. Do not use this nominal metal calculation to price a scarce issue.
Authenticity and condition
Check the denomination, relief style, date, reverse inscriptions, raised-star edge and nominal dimensions together. Comparing faces alone cannot verify an edge or fineness. Request a specialist examination of an uncertain or unusual example.
Selling this coin
Use $10 Indian Head Eagle in the description and include both faces, date and any mint mark. Record the reverse motto state as observed. Distinguish it from a $5 incuse coin before submitting quantities for appraisal.
Sources and calculation methodology
The historical Mint report and Coinage Act document nominal gold standards; NIST documents the unit conversions. The fine-weight override retains the result from grains instead of recalculating from a rounded catalog gram weight. Design and date references are separate from photographs. These calculations describe correctly identified genuine coins at standard weight. No approved live gold-price feed is configured, so dollar melt values remain unavailable. A collector assessment and a purchase offer are separate from metal content.
Common questions
Is every Indian Head gold coin an incuse Pratt design?
No. The $10 eagle is Saint-Gaudens’ raised-relief Liberty design. The incuse Indian Head quarter and half eagles are different denominations.
Can the page photographs verify the raised-star edge?
No. They show the obverse and reverse. Inspect and document the edge of the actual coin separately.
References
- U.S. Mint: Historical gold eagle designs — identity; dates Indian Head eagle introduced 1907; design Saint-Gaudens Liberty with headdress and perched eagle (checked 2026-10-10)
- Historical Coinage Act of 1873, sections 13–14 — weight 258 grains; fineness .900; gold-alloy standard; historical reference, not current legal guidance (checked 2026-10-10)
Issue-year references
Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.
Related coins
Have this coin or a collection?
Photographs can help identify your coin. An appraisal may consider authenticity, condition and collector demand as well as metal content.
Request a photo appraisal View current gold coin buying information
.jpg){kind=link}