1932 Indian Head Eagle
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 4,463,000 made
- Mintage
- 4,463,000
- 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 1932 Indian Head Eagle worth?
Its gold content does most of the work: a genuine 1932 is worth at least its 0.4837 troy ounces of gold. Collector demand adds a premium for better grades.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1932 Indian Head Eagle rare?
- No. With 4.5 million made, it's one of the most common Indian Head Eagles.
- Is the 1932 Indian Head Eagle real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.4837 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1932 Indian Head Eagle?
- On the reverse, to the left of the arrow points. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- How many 1932 Indian Head Eagle coins were made?
- 4,463,000.
What to check on your 1932
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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.
- 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 1932 weighs 16.718 g and measures 27 mm. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer.
The story of the 1932
Philadelphia hadn't struck the Indian Head Eagle since 1926. When it came back in 1932, it made 4,463,000. In 1933 the figure was 312,500.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1932 you find is from Philadelphia.
Of the 14 Indian Head Eagles Philadelphia struck between 1907 and 1933, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest Philadelphia issue is the 1907 (Rolled Edge, Periods) at 42.
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 1932
The Washington quarter was introduced to mark the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. The Denver and San Francisco quarters of 1932 had small mintages and are the key dates of the series.
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 | 1932 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 4,463,000 |
| 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.