1932 $10 Indian Head Eagle, PCGS MS65, Ex. Rive d'Or Collection

The 1932 is the penultimate issue for this series and is the most common Indian Head eagle available in mint state. Gold specialist David Akers writes, "The 1932 is typically well struck with very good to excellent lustre. The color is most often a medium to rich greenish gold, and many specimens have light rose or coppery highlights. Many, if not most, have reddish copper spots or stains to some degree. Frosty specimens are the norm but many have a decidedly satiny texture, particularly on the face. Like the 1926, many specimens exhibit unsightly surface 'cuts' that seem heavier than typical bagmarks."

President Theodore Roosevelt initiated the change in U.S. coinage in collaboration with sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It was his passion. For two and a half years, Roosevelt found the time, even in the midst of political and diplomatic struggles, to be deeply involved in numismatics. It was with a critical eye that the President followed every step in Saint-Gaudens’ work, making suggestions throughout the process. He didn’t care that Treasury Secretary Shaw thought he was “a cracked-brained lunatic on the subject.” The most obvious innovation from Roosevelt’s creative mind vis-à-vis the coins was in the case of the Liberty head on the $10 eagle. He requested that Saint-Gaudens replace the Phrygian cap in his original design with a traditional Indian feather headdress. The artist agreed wholeheartedly with the argument that “American Liberty should, if possible, have something distinctly American about her.”