$140,000.00 USD
This coin is part of the Indian Head Half Eagle series, designed by Bela Lyon Pratt as part of President Theodore Roosevelt’s drive to revolutionize American coinage. What sets this series apart is its incuse design—rather than being raised above the surface, the designs are sunken into the coin, a technique inspired by ancient Egyptian reliefs. The 1909 proof issues are especially desirable due to their historical role in the transition from matte to Roman (satin) proof finishes. Only 78 proof examples were struck in 1909, making them exceedingly scarce.
Obverse: Depicts a left-facing Native American chief in full feathered headdress surrounded by 13 stars with the word LIBERTY above and the date “1909” below. The portrait features bold incuse relief with minimal surface disruption, especially rare in PF66 condition.
Reverse: Features a perched eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch, symbolizing both military readiness and peace. Surrounding inscriptions include UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the denomination FIVE DOLLARS. Like the obverse, the reverse fields exhibit a uniform satin texture typical of the Roman finish proofs.
Graded NGC PF66, this example is a high-grade survivor of an already minuscule proof mintage. PF66 is defined by sharp details, superb preservation of the experimental Roman Gold finish, and only minor imperfections visible under magnification
