A PCGS graded and CAC approved MS-65 1933 Eagle $10 gold coin sold at a recent auction in Schaumburg for $822,500. Part of the series of “With Motto” Indian Head eagles, this particular piece was deemed “the best 1933 eagle I have ever seen” by an expert.
These particular coins were the result of a collaboration between President Theodore Roosevelt and American sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens. It began when Roosevelt asked Gaudens and his associate to create an inaugural medal featuring a bust of the President. After this, Gaudens began work on new designs for coins.
The front side on the $10 eagle coin features a bust, almost identical to the Nike head Saint Gaudens designed for Sherman’s monument in Central Park; however, he replaced the laurel crown with an Indian feathered war bonnet. LIBERTY is inscribed on the headdress with 13 stars above and the date below. The reverse shows an eagle standing on a bundle or arrows; E PLURIBUS UNIM inscribed on the right.
The minting of such coins began in 1907, and were in circulation until President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order ended circulation of gold coins in 1933. Most 1933 eagles were melted. Records show that a total of 13,070,583 were struck in total. Since many were melted, however, this number is likely significantly off.