1914-S Indian Head Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 208,000 made
- Mintage
- 208,000
- 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 1914-S Indian Head Eagle worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
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 1914-S Indian Head Eagle rare?
- Yes. Only 208,000 were made, 14th lowest of the 31 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1914-S Indian Head Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.4837 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1914 Indian Head Eagle?
- On the reverse, to the left of the arrow points. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1914 are scarcer?
- The 1911-S at 51,000, the 1915-S at 59,000, the 1913-S at 66,000, plus 1 more. So the 1914-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1914-S Indian Head Eagle coins were made?
- 208,000.
What to check on your 1914-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1914 (151,000 made).
- 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.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- 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 1914-S weighs 16.718 g and measures 27 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1914-S
San Francisco ramped up hard in 1914: 208,000 coins, about 3.2 times the 1913 run. In 1915 the figure was 59,000.
1914 came to 151,000 and 1914-D came to 343,500, so neither mint's 1914 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1908-D (No Motto) (210,000) and the 1909 (184,789).
Across San Francisco's 11 Indian Head Eagle issues, the hardest to find is the 1911-S with 51,000 made. The 1914-S is one of the easier ones. Within the 1910s it's 7th smallest of 16, between the 1914 (151,000) and the 1912-S (300,000).
More on the 1914-S
San Francisco struck 208,000 eagles in 1914, between Philadelphia's 151,000 and Denver's 343,500. The next year San Francisco's total dropped to just 59,000, so the 1914-S is the more available of the two. San Francisco's figure was also lower than its 300,000 of 1912.
San Francisco gold from 1914 is usually found circulated or in lower uncirculated grades. Well struck, lightly marked pieces are scarce, which pushes the premium up quickly as the grade rises. Check the S to the left of the arrowheads first, since all three mints struck eagles this year. Then look at the high points: Liberty's cheek, the headdress feathers and the eagle's wing. A worn 1914-S sells above its gold value with a collector premium. An uncirculated coin with original luster is the version that specialists want. If you have one, get it graded before you decide anything, since the step from a typical coin to a choice one is a big one.
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.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1914
Denver's small cent output in 1914 created one of the great Lincoln cent key dates, the 1914-D.
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 | 1914 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 208,000 |
| 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 |
Other 1914 Indian Head Eagle issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 Indian Head Eagle | 151,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1914-D Indian Head Eagle | 343,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1914-S Indian Head Eagle | 208,000 | 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.