$10 Indian Head Gold Eagle
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
United States • 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
Issue years: 1907–1916, 1920, 1926, 1930, 1932–1933
Fine gold: 0.483750 troy oz
United States • 10 U.S. dollars
Liberty Head Eagle — $10
Liberty Head Eagle — $10 has nominal fine gold of 0.48375 troy oz (15.046307 g) at the historical .900 standard. Original Liberty Head ten-dollar eagles use the historical $10 gold standard. The museum photograph represents an 1866 motto-bearing issue, not every early portrait subtype.
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
- Reeded
- Mint
- United States Mint; mint facility varies by issue
- Mint mark
- Varies by issue; inspect reference
- Issue years
- 1838–1907
The early covered-ear design, later no-motto design and with-motto design have different date/mint combinations within this period.
- 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 wearing a coronet with LIBERTY, surrounded by stars and dated 1866. The portrait is closely related to smaller Liberty Head denominations. An image without scale is therefore insufficient to identify a ten-dollar eagle.
Reverse: identify the back
A shielded eagle holds arrows and a branch, with TEN D. below and IN GOD WE TRUST above. Match TEN D. before calculating gold content. Earlier issues omit the reverse motto shown here.
History and purpose
The Mint records Gobrecht’s Liberty Head eagle introduction in 1838 and the motto change in 1866. The design preceded the related half and quarter eagles. The historical denomination continued until the Indian Head $10 redesign in 1907.
How to identify this variant
Check TEN D., the complete date and the coronet portrait. The reviewed 1866 reference gives a nominal 26.8 mm diameter, not the 21.6 mm later half-eagle reference. Record actual measurements without treating a rounded catalog figure as a tolerance.
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 date range 1838–1907 includes early portrait differences and no-motto/motto issues. Both Liberty Head and Indian Head eagles occur in the 1907 transition. An eagle denomination alone does not identify the portrait type.
Melt value versus collector value
Retain dates, mint marks, holders and original surfaces. Early subtypes and individual issues need examination before grouping coins as equivalent collector material. Their nominal metal standard does not set a common purchase price.
Authenticity and condition
Compare the reverse denomination, portrait, motto state, date, edge and coin-only physical measurements. Plated replicas can imitate a gold color. Seek non-destructive assessment when design and measurements do not agree.
Selling this coin
Describe the piece explicitly as a $10 Liberty Head eagle. Photograph the denomination, date and any mint mark, and distinguish motto state if known. Keep it separate from modern American Gold Eagles, which use different standards.
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
Does eagle always mean a one-ounce bullion coin?
No. This historical eagle is the $10 denomination with nominal 0.48375 troy oz fine gold. Modern American Gold Eagles use a separate product specification.
Can a 1907 date alone distinguish a Liberty Head eagle?
No. The year overlaps the change to the Indian Head design. Compare the actual portrait and reverse.
References
- U.S. Mint: Historical gold eagle designs — identity; dates Liberty Head eagle introduced 1838; design Gobrecht; motto added 1866 (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.
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