1926 $10 Indian Head Eagle NGC MS62

More affordable gold eagle in the popular NGC Old Fatty holder

David Akers writes, “Nearly all 1926 eagles are well struck and the lustre is rarely, if ever, less than very good to excellent. Color varies widely from greenish gold to light to medium orange gold.” NGC has graded 16,897 as MS62 with 25,073 finer. Collectors Universe prices this issue at $1,800.00 in MS62.

The original design by Saint-Gaudens for the one cent piece. That idea was scrapped and the artist employed it for his $10 eagle design. However, President Theodore Roosevelt “bullied” the artist into including the Indian feather headdress on the eagle coin. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens took inspiration from the classical figure of Nike (Victory) when he drafted initial designs for a cent piece that was not developed further. This profile of Nike, bedecked with an olive wreath, became the obverse motif for his Eagle coin. President Theodore Roosevelt saw Saint-Gaudens' design for the eagle, and was not happy with it.

He made his feelings known--and offered an artistic suggestion--in a letter to him dated November 14, 1905. Wrote Roosevelt, "...is it possible to make a Liberty with that Indian feather head-dress? ... Would the feather headdress be any more out of keeping with the rest of Liberty than the canonical Phyrgian cap which is never worn by any free people in the world?"