1930-S Indian Head Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 96,000 made
- Mintage
- 96,000
- 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 1930-S Indian Head Eagle worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1930-S is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
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 1930-S Indian Head Eagle rare?
- Yes. Only 96,000 were made, 8th lowest of the 31 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1930-S Indian Head Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.4837 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1930 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.
- How many 1930-S Indian Head Eagle coins were made?
- 96,000.
What to check on your 1930-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread.
- 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 1930-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 1930-S
San Francisco hadn't struck the Indian Head Eagle since 1920. When it came back in 1930, it made 96,000. It turned out to be San Francisco's last Indian Head Eagle for circulation.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1930 you find is from San Francisco. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1909-D (121,540) and the 1920-S (126,500).
Across San Francisco's 11 Indian Head Eagle issues, the hardest to find is the 1911-S with 51,000 made. The 1930-S is on the scarcer side of the middle.
The final eagles and the gold recall (1930 to 1933)
San Francisco struck 96,000 eagles in 1930. Almost all were melted, leaving the 1930-S a rarity. No eagles were made in 1931. Philadelphia's 1932 mintage of 4,463,000 was the largest of the series. Many 1932 eagles were exported before the recall, which makes the 1932 the most common date today and a favorite for type sets.
The 1933, with 312,500 struck, was made early in the year shortly before the gold recall under Executive Order 6102 of April 1933. A small number left the Mint and are legal to own, but nearly the entire mintage was melted. It is one of the great rarities among twentieth century gold coins. Counterfeits of the 1930-S and 1933 exist, so certification is important. No eagles were struck after 1933.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1930
The last Standing Liberty quarters were struck. The economic depression cut demand for new coins sharply.
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 | 1930 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 96,000 |
| 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 |
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.