$10 Indian AU (Dates/Types Vary)

When President Theodore Roosevelt set his mind on something, nothing would hold him back. And one thing he had his mind set on as president was improving American coinage, which he found tired, boring, uninspiring.

Roosevelt wanted American coins to rival Ancient Greek coinage in beauty and elegance. So he directed the U.S. Mint to hire renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to design new coins, including the $10 Indian Head Eagle gold coin.

Saint-Gaudens had earned a place for himself in Washington’s halls of power and was a frequent guest of Henry Adams (grandson and great-grandson of two American presidents), who introduced him to President Roosevelt. Over dinner at the White House, Roosevelt and Saint-Gaudens enthused together over ancient Greek coinage, agreeing that no coins in the previous 2,000 years had surpassed the beauty and relief of the coins of Alexander the Great’s era. Roosevelt had decided to change that with a new direction for America’s coins.

Due to a previous, artistically frustrating experience with the U.S. Mint, Saint-Gaudens was reluctant to take on this project. He was, however, won over — and became the first non-Mint employee ever to design U.S. coins. The sculptor's designs revolutionized American numismatics, incorporating elements of classical Roman and Greek art.

On the obverse of the $10 Indian Head Eagle, Saint-Gaudens showed Lady Liberty wearing a feathered headdress. The word "LIBERTY" appears in the forehead band of Liberty's headdress. The year of minting is at the bottom of the design, below Lady Liberty's neck.

On the reverse, Saint-Gaudens depicted a proud eagle standing on a bundle of arrows and an olive branch, representing strength and peace. The words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" and "TEN DOLLARS" surround the eagle.

The $10 Indian Head Eagle was minted from 1907-1933, although minting was intermittent from 1916-1933. The coin contains .48375 troy ounces of gold. It is 2.03 mm thick, 27 mm in diameter, and 16.718 grams in weight. Its composition is 90% gold and 10% copper. Indian Head Eagles were minted at the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver mints.