Lot 203
1915 Indian Head Two and a Half Dollar Gold Coin
Sold December 11, 2025
- Price realized
- $450
Price realized is the winning bid (hammer price) and excludes buyer’s premium.
About this lot
Estimated Value: $500-800
Origin: Philadelphia, U.S.A.
Denomination: 2 1/2 Dollars
Year: 1915
Mint: Philadelphia Mint
Grade/Condition: Estimated: MS
Metal: 90% gold and 10% copper
Weight (+/- 0.2g): 4.2 Grams
Additional Description: The 1915 Indian Head $2.50 gold coin represents one of the most distinctive and celebrated designs in American numismatics. Created by the sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt, it features an innovative incuse design, where the images are recessed into the coin rather than raised, a departure from traditional coinage techniques. On the obverse, a Native American chief is depicted in profile, wearing a full headdress, rendered with remarkable detail and dignity. The reverse presents a standing eagle in flight, a dynamic symbol of strength and freedom. Struck in 90 percent gold, the 1915 issue carries intrinsic value and a tangible heft, with surfaces that, when well preserved, reveal a soft, warm luster and sharp detail. The coin’s design, unusual for its recessed style, helped reduce wear and introduced a modernist sensibility to early twentieth-century American coinage.
Lot details
- Lot
- 203
- Auction
- Gold and Silver Showcase
- Closed
- December 11, 2025
