1908 Indian Eagle. Motto. MS-68 (PCGS). CMQ.Regarded by many as the most beautiful United States coin - perhaps surpassing even the contemporary Saint-Gaudens double eagle - this coin harkens back to a time when the general population, and our legislators in the nations capital, believed that a countrys ideals and aspirations could be, in part, demonstrated through its coinage. Theodore Roosevelt started the movement toward a more artistic coinage, and eventually the change from symbolic but pedestrian designs to truly artistic coinage was accomplished for all denominations of circulating coins. For whatever reason, those days are long gone and we are left primarily with very ordinary designs on our coinage, which, while perfectly suited to mass production, do not particularly inspire. Here you can own a bit of those earlier days, an actual miniature metallic sculpture recalling the days shortly after the conquest of the American West, with Liberty wearing a Native American headdress, and the reverse with a majestic bald eagle defiantly perched on a laurel-wrapped bundle of arrows. Even the edge is intriguing by todays standards, with a border of raised stars adding a third dimension to the design of the Indian eagle.<p>The general appeal of the design aside, this particular specimen has much going for it. It possesses an exceptionally bold strike, with all the details of the feathers in the headdress in full definition, and even the details of the eagles legs and talons fully struck up. The surfaces are nearly flawless, with no significant marks or abrasions to report. The coin also exhibits a marked cartwheel luster, and upon examination with a loupe, a delightful orange peel effect is noted to the open areas in the fields, which imparts an overall satiny luster. If you need an exceptional Indian eagle of the With Motto design type for your set, you would do well to consider this extraordinary and rare Ultra Gem Mint State example.PCGS# 8859. NGC ID: 28GJ.PCGS Population: 4; with a single MS-68+ finer.From the Rick Springfield Collection.
