1926 Indian Head Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,014,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,014,000
- 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 1926 Indian Head Eagle worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
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 1926 Indian Head Eagle rare?
- Somewhat. 1,014,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1926 Indian Head Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.4837 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1926 Indian Head Eagle?
- On the reverse, to the left of the arrow points. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- How many 1926 Indian Head Eagle coins were made?
- 1,014,000.
What to check on your 1926
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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.
- 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 1926 weighs 16.718 g and measures 27 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1926
Philadelphia hadn't struck the Indian Head Eagle since 1915. When it came back in 1926, it made 1,014,000. After that, Philadelphia didn't make another until 1932.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1926 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1908-D (With Motto) (836,500) and the 1910-S (811,000).
Philadelphia struck the Indian Head Eagle in 14 issues between 1907 and 1933. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1907 (Rolled Edge, Periods) (42).
More on the 1926
Philadelphia's 1,014,000 eagles of 1926 were its first since 1915 and about twice the 505,500 it struck in 1911, its biggest prewar year. No other mint struck eagles in 1926, so every coin of this date is from Philadelphia. It also ended a five-year gap with no eagles at all, since none were struck from 1921 to 1925.
The 1926 and the 1932 are the two most common Indian Head eagles, largely because many were shipped overseas in the 1920s. Those coins sat in foreign bank vaults through the 1933 gold recall and later came back to the American market. Most survivors are uncirculated with bag marks from those years in storage, which makes the 1926 a popular type coin for anyone who wants one nice example of the design. Expect a value close to gold value with a small premium in typical grades. Clean, lustrous coins with few marks on the cheek carry a collector premium. Philadelphia double eagles of the same years came back from Europe in the same way, so the two often turn up together in gold type sets.
Only two dates in thirteen years (1917 to 1929)
No eagles were struck from 1917 to 1919, from 1921 to 1925 or from 1927 to 1929. Only two dates exist from this long stretch: the 1920-S with 126,500 struck and the 1926 from Philadelphia with 1,014,000. Denver struck no eagles after 1914, so neither date has a Denver counterpart. Fakes of the 1920-S are known.
Most 1920-S eagles stayed in government vaults and were melted after 1933, so it is one of the rarest dates of the series. The 1926 is the opposite case. Many were exported to European banks and later returned, so it is one of the most common Indian eagles in mint state and a popular type coin. Both dates use the 48-star edge introduced in 1912.
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 | 1926 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,014,000 |
| 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.