Rarely do Indian half eagles of any date or from any issuing mint possess either the strong technical quality or aesthetic appeal of this premium Gem. This very special coin is fully struck with razor sharp definition to all features. Satiny luster is bright, full, and undiminished. This coin was obviously handled with great care over the years, which helps to explain the luster quality and the virtually pristine surfaces. Even original khaki-orange patina blankets both sides and adds exceptional eye appeal. Given the popularity of first-year issues, this breathtaking 1908 Indian half eagle would serve as a centerpiece in the finest type set. For the collector assembling a date and mint set of this series, this coin also represents an important find. The Indian half eagle is one of only two United States coins produced with an incuse design, the other being the Indian quarter eagle. Both coins were introduced in 1908, and both are the work of Norwich, Connecticut-born sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt. The incuse design, inspired by certain coins of Ancient Greece, has the devices impressed into the coin, lower than the surrounding field areas. On all other U.S. coin designs the opposite is the case, with the devices raised above the fields. The redesign of the half eagle and quarter eagle in 1908 came almost as an afterthought, as attention was focused on Augustus Saint-Gaudens designs for the double eagle and eagle. The driving force behind this revolutionary coinage redesign was President Theodore Roosevelt, whose plan originally called for new designs for all denominations from the cent to the double eagle. Saint-Gaudens was in failing health and died on August 3, 1907, by which time the designs for only the $10 and $20 coins had neared completion. To continue the concept, William Sturgis Bigelow was tapped to find another artist to design the two lower gold denomination. Nominally a doctor of medicine, he was most interested in Oriental art and culture and is perhaps best remembered for developing the extensive Japanese collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Art. Bigelow had also been a close personal friend of Theodore Roosevelt since 1887, and by 1908 he was able to influence the president in a great many areas. On his initiative, and even before informing the president of his plan in a letter dated January 8, 1908, Bigelow hired Pratt to create a sample model of a coin with an incuse design. The president s desire to complete his plans for redesigning the nation s gold coinage, combined with Bigelow s considerable influence and Pratt s choice of a uniquely American motif, virtually guaranteed the eventual adoption of the new Indian half eagle and quarter eagle designs. The Philadelphia Mint s premier issue of Pratt s Indian half eagle, the 1908, was produced to the extent of 577,845 pieces for circulation, along with 167 Sand Blast Proofs for sale to collectors. As interesting as the coin may have been to certain inner circles at the Mint, the motif was roundly detested, and many negative letters were printed in The Numismatist concerning it. As a result, very few collectors saved such pieces. It was not until generations later that they became popular, by which time the vast majority of high grade pieces had long since disappeared. Today in 2015, the 1908 is the most often encountered Indian half eagle in Gem Mint State. This is a scarce type in the finest Mint State grades, however, with demand for high grade survivors exceeding the number extant from all issues in the series. Most Gem 1908 Indian fives have been certified as "only" MS-65, with MS-66 and finer examples few and very far between. This important condition rarity would nicely represent the type or date in the finest cabinet. CAC has stickered only eight 1908 Indian half eagles at this grade level. ， Est. $15,000-$25,000
