1916-S Indian Head Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 138,500 made
- Mintage
- 138,500
- Metal
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Weight
- 16.718 g
- Diameter
- 27 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1916-S Indian Head Eagle worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1916-S is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1916-S Indian Head Eagle rare?
- Yes. Only 138,500 were made, 11th lowest of the 31 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1916-S Indian Head Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.4837 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1916 Indian Head Eagle?
- On the reverse, to the left of the arrow points. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1916 are scarcer?
- The 1911-S at 51,000, the 1915-S at 59,000, the 1913-S at 66,000, plus 1 more. So the 1916-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1916-S Indian Head Eagle coins were made?
- 138,500.
What to check on your 1916-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread.
- Count the stars on the edge. From 1912 the edge carries 48 raised stars, after New Mexico and Arizona joined the Union. Counterfeiters have sometimes got the count or the spacing wrong.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Judge the grade under good light. Check the feathers above Liberty's eye and the eagle's wing. Gold is soft, so bag marks on the cheek strongly affect the grade.
Gold coins are counterfeited more than any other US coins. A genuine 1916-S weighs 16.718 g and measures 27 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1916-S
San Francisco made 138,500 in 1916, up from 59,000 in 1915. After that, San Francisco didn't make another until 1920.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1916 you find is from San Francisco. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1914 (151,000) and the 1920-S (126,500).
Across San Francisco's 11 Indian Head Eagle issues, the hardest to find is the 1911-S with 51,000 made. The 1916-S is one of the easier ones. Within the 1910s it's 5th smallest of 16, between the 1913-S (66,000) and the 1914 (151,000).
More on the 1916-S
In 1916 San Francisco was the only mint to strike eagles, producing 138,500. It was the last eagle from any mint until the 1920-S. The figure was more than twice San Francisco's 59,000 of 1915. A long gap followed: no eagles were made in 1917, 1918 or 1919.
Philadelphia had other priorities that year: it introduced the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty quarter and the Walking Liberty half dollar. Because the 1916-S stands alone for its year, it fills a slot no other coin can. Anyone building a set by date needs one. It's scarcer than the common Philadelphia dates but not one of the great keys, so it sits at a collector premium above gold value in circulated grades. Uncirculated coins with good luster bring more. Check the S to the left of the arrowheads and look for bag marks on the cheek. Count the edge stars too: a genuine 1916-S has 48. A well struck 1916-S with original luster is a good find.
Steady issues and the 1911-D key (1909 to 1916)
With the motto in place, eagles were struck in most years at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. The 1911-D, only 30,100, is the key of the period. The 1911-S, 1913-S and 1915-S are scarce, especially well struck. Denver struck 2,356,640 in 1910, the largest branch mint total of these years.
In 1912 two more stars were added to the edge for New Mexico and Arizona, raising the count from 46 to 48. Mint marks sit on the reverse to the left of the arrowheads. Large gold coins like these picked up bag marks easily, so the cheek and the field in front of the face are the places to check. The 1916-S closed the period before World War I halted production.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1916
A new generation of silver designs arrived: the Mercury dime, the Standing Liberty quarter and the Walking Liberty half dollar. The first Standing Liberty quarters were struck in very small numbers late in the year.
How to recognize it
Augustus Saint-Gaudens' $10 gold piece shows Liberty in a feathered headdress inscribed LIBERTY, with 13 stars above and the date below. The reverse shows a standing eagle on a bundle of arrows with an olive branch. The edge has raised stars: 46 until 1911 and 48 from 1912. IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the reverse field in 1908. The mint mark is to the left of the arrows.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Indian Head Eagle (1907–1933) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 138,500 |
| Face value | $10 |
| Composition | 90% gold, 10% copper |
| Weight | 16.718 grams |
| Diameter | 27 mm |
| Edge | Raised stars (46, then 48 from 1912) |
| Designer | Augustus Saint-Gaudens |
Mintage: Indian Head eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.