1911 Indian Head Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 505,500 made
- Mintage
- 505,500
- 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 1911 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 1911 Indian Head Eagle rare?
- Somewhat. 505,500 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1911 Indian Head Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.4837 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1911 Indian Head Eagle?
- On the reverse, to the left of the arrow points. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1911 are scarcer?
- The 1907 (Rolled Edge, Periods) at 42, the 1908 (No Motto) at 33,500, the 1914 at 151,000, plus 7 more. So the 1911 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1911 Indian Head Eagle coins were made?
- 505,500.
What to check on your 1911
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Count the stars on the edge. Eagles dated 1907 to 1911 have 46 raised stars, one for each state at the time. A coin with this date and 48 stars is not genuine.
- 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 1911 weighs 16.718 g and measures 27 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1911
Output at Philadelphia climbed to 505,500 in 1911, from 318,500 the year before. The next year it made 405,000 (1912).
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1911-D (30,100) and 1911-S (51,000). In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1913 (442,000) and the 1912 (405,000).
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). Within the 1910s it's 14th smallest of 16, between the 1913 (442,000) and the 1910-S (811,000).
More on the 1911
Philadelphia's 505,500 eagles made 1911 its biggest year for the denomination between 1909 and 1915. Denver struck only 30,100 that year and San Francisco 51,000, so the Philadelphia coin is by far the common one: more than eight of every ten 1911 eagles came from Philadelphia.
That makes the 1911 one of the more available early dates, especially in circulated and lower uncirculated grades. It's also the sensible alternative if the 1911-D is out of reach. Arizona and New Mexico joined the Union early the next year, adding two stars to the edge, so the 1911 closes the first chapter of the design. A clean 1911 with frosty luster carries a collector premium over its gold value; a worn one sits close to gold value. Check the reverse carefully for any trace of a mint mark beside the arrowheads before you file it as a Philadelphia coin. If you own a 1911 and a 1912, count the edge stars on each to see the change for yourself.
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.
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 | 1911 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 505,500 |
| 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 |
Other 1911 Indian Head Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 Indian Head Eagle | 505,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1911-D Indian Head Eagle | 30,100 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1911-S Indian Head Eagle | 51,000 | Circulation strike | – |
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.