1907 $10 Indian Head Eagle, No Motto PCGS MS62

Here is an affordable, attractive example of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ masterwork to add to your collection. Please take a look at the images of this piece. PCGS has graded 2,963 specimens as MS62, with 3,719 finer. The substantial number of graded pieces is why it is a more affordable option for collectors. Collectors Universe gives it a price of $2,500.00 in MS62.

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.”

Saint-Gaudens working in his studio, painting by Kenyon Cox. Saint-Gaudens created this stunning coin design. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

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.”