1925-D Indian Head $2.50 Gold Piece PCGS Certified MS62

By the early twentieth century, the designs of U.S. gold coins were long overdue for a makeover. The Liberty Head design had been employed on all gold coins for nearly 60 years with little modification. President Theodore Roosevelt took a personal interest in redesigning the nation’s gold coins and commissioned famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create new patterns for the $10 and $20 gold pieces, which debuted in 1907 with much fanfare. The new $2.50 and $5 designs followed the next year. These two coins are distinctly unusual because they are the only U.S. coins ever minted with incuse designs-- that is, the letters and images are depressed into an otherwise flat plane. All other coins have images and letters which are raised above the surface.

This incuse concept originated from William Sturgis Bigelow, a close friend of Roosevelt who was impressed by the Egyptian reliefs in the Boston Museum of Fine arts. Never before used on modern coins, he and Roosevelt felt the concept had promise for that purpose. Well-known sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt was commissioned to enact their vision. The chosen obverse design features a Native American warrior with a feathered war bonnet encircled by 13 stars, representing the original states. The reverse features an eagle perched upon fasces intertwined with an olive branch, symbolic of peace and preparedness.

The $2.50 gold Indian proved to be a relatively short-lived series. It was coined from 1908 to 1915, and then again from 1925-1929, making it the last $2.50 gold piece in U.S. history. The 1925-D Indian Head $2.50 Gold Piece offered here is an affordable mint-state example produced after the 10-year hiatus.

You will receive the unique coin shown in the photos housed in plush-lined box with a certificate of authenticity.