1908 $2 1/2

Description

1908 Indian Head Quarter Eagle ($2 1/2), Philadelphia Mint. This 1908 $2 1/2 gold piece represents the first year of issue for Bela Lyon Pratt's iconic Indian Head quarter eagle design. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint (no mintmark), this piece displays the characteristic features of the series' inaugural coinage. The coin is composed of 90% gold and 10% copper, with a weight of 4.18 grams and diameter of 18mm. With a mintage of 564,821 pieces, the 1908 remains one of the most available dates within the Indian Head quarter eagle series, particularly in higher circulated and lower Mint State grades. Graded MS-63 by PCGS (Certificate #39151866), this example exhibits the typical striking characteristics of the date. The obverse displays sharp detail, while the reverse shows the expected softness on the eagle's wing feathers—a die characteristic rather than a striking weakness that was subsequently refined in later years. The coin presents the medium greenish-gold color typical of the issue, with good lustre displaying the characteristic soft frosty to slightly satiny appearance common to 1908 examples. As the first year of the series, the 1908 benefited from significant contemporary collecting interest, with many pieces set aside as novelties. This collector activity has resulted in a substantial population of high-grade examples surviving to the present day. At the MS-63 level, this date remains readily obtainable for the series collector, making it an accessible entry point for those seeking to build a representative Indian Head quarter eagle collection.