Pre-33 $5 Indian Head Half Eagle
| Dealer | Price | Premium | Stock | Updated | Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AAPMEXBest | $1,189.42 | +4.0% over spot | In stock | 19 hours ago | |
MMMonument Metals | $1,215.17 | +6.3% over spot | In stock | 2 hours ago | |
BBGASC | $1,252.29 | +9.5% over spot | In stock | 2 hours ago |
- AAPMEXBest$1,189.42+4.0% over spotIn stock19 hours agoView Deal
- MMMonument Metals$1,215.17+6.3% over spotIn stock2 hours agoView Deal
- BBGASC$1,252.29+9.5% over spotIn stock2 hours agoView Deal
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Specifications
- Weight
- 0.2419 oz
- Purity
- .9
- Mint
- US Mint
- Country
- United States
- First struck
- 1908
About the Pre-33 $5 Indian Head Half Eagle
The $5 Indian Head Half Eagle was issued by the U.S. Mint from 1908 through 1929. It was designed by Bela Lyon Pratt at the urging of President Theodore Roosevelt, who wanted American coinage to look as bold as Europe's. Pratt's solution was unusual. Instead of raising the design above the surface, he sank it into the coin. The portrait of a Native American chief on the obverse and the standing eagle on the reverse both sit below the field.
Each coin contains 0.2419 troy ounces of gold and weighs 8.359 grams gross. The alloy is 90% gold and 10% copper, which gives the coin its warm, slightly reddish color and the durability the Mint needed for circulation. The diameter is 21.6 millimeters, smaller than a modern US nickel.
The series ran for 22 years across three mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and a single-year New Orleans issue in 1909. Production stopped after 1929 because of the gold recall and the broader collapse of circulating gold coinage in the 1930s. Many examples were melted, and survivors today come mostly from European bank holdings that returned to the US market decades later.
When you buy one for the metal, you are buying it for the gold weight, not the date. Bullion-grade Indian Head half eagles are usually sold by dealers as common-date pieces in lower mint-state or about-uncirculated condition. The premium reflects the coin's age, its 90% fineness, and the fact that the US government no longer makes anything like it.
Key-date and high-grade examples are a separate market entirely. The 1909-O, the 1929, and any well-struck Denver or San Francisco issue can carry premiums many multiples of melt. If your goal is gold exposure, stick to common-date generic pieces. If your goal is numismatics, you should be buying graded coins from a reputable dealer who specializes in pre-1933 US gold.
The coin's incuse design is its signature, and it is also its main vulnerability. Because the highest points of the design are the field of the coin itself, wear shows up there first. That is part of why grading these coins fairly is harder than grading a Saint-Gaudens double eagle or a Liberty Head, and part of why the spread between bullion and collector grades is so wide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the current premium on Pre-33 $5 Indian Head Half Eagle?
The lowest premium right now is +4.0% over spot at APMEX ($1,189.42). The table above ranks every dealer by premium so the best deal is at the top.
Which dealer has the cheapest Pre-33 $5 Indian Head Half Eagle?
APMEX currently has the lowest total price at $1,189.42. We compare every dealer on a freshness-filtered 24-hour window so rankings reflect live market prices.
How often do prices update?
Dealer prices refresh hourly. Spot metal reference refreshes every 10 minutes. The "last seen" timestamp on each listing tells you exactly when that price was captured.