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Melt Values/ Gold / $10 Gold Eagle (–1933)
FACE $10.0016.718 G0.48375 OZT AU
OverviewThe storyKey datesSpecificationsGradingQuestions
Melt Intelligence0.48375 ozt AuFace $10.00

$10 Gold Eagle (–1933)

Saint-Gaudens' Liberty wears a Native war bonnet — Theodore Roosevelt's personal request.

$10 Gold Eagle (–1933)WIKIMEDIA COMMONS · Public domain · US Mint (coin), National Numismatic Collection (photograph by Jaclyn Nash)
$10 Gold Eagle (–1933) — coin photograph
Designer
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (Indian Head, 1907); Christian Gobrecht (Liberty)
OBSERVED
Years Struck
1795–1933
OBSERVED
Mints
Philadelphia, New Orleans (O), San Francisco (S), Carson City (CC), Denver (D)
OBSERVED
02

The story

Theodore Roosevelt called American coinage 'atrocious hideousness' and hired the greatest sculptor of the age to fix it. Saint-Gaudens' eagle — and the standing Liberty in a feathered bonnet — was the result, struck from 1907 until gold coinage died in 1933. The eagle was the denomination the dollar was defined against: $20.67 per ounce, until 1933 revalued the world.

Early 1907 eagles omitted 'In God We Trust' — Roosevelt considered the motto on money blasphemous. Congress overruled him within a year.

03

Key dates worth real money

Check these before treating any gold piece as melt. Think you have one? Check recent auction records before selling, and read the grading basics first.

DateWhy it matters
1920-SVault-melted into rarity — six figures
1933312,500 struck, ~40 known — almost the entire mintage went to the furnaces
1907 Wire Rim500 pieces of the original high-relief concept
04

Specifications

SpecificationValue
Diameter27 mm
Weight16.718 g
Edge1907-11 46 raised stars; 1912+ 48 stars (edge stars, unique in US coinage)
Composition90% Au, 10% Cu
Actual gold weight0.48375 ozt
05

Grading and authentication

Grading: where wear shows first
Wear first on the cheek and the eagle's wing. Saint-Gaudens eagles in true mint state glow - luster is the grade.

Never clean a coin. Ever. Cleaning permanently destroys collector value — dark original toning is worth more than shiny damage.

Counterfeit check
Counterfeited for a century. Weight 16.718 g; edge-star detail is a quick tell on fakes.

Gear that settles it: an electromagnetic verifier, a calibrated scale and calipers — counterfeit basics.

06

Questions people actually ask

Why does my $10 Indian have no 'In God We Trust'?

1907-1908 issues omitted it at Theodore Roosevelt's insistence - he thought the motto on money was sacrilege. Congress restored it in 1908. Both types are collected.

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Hard Money. Hard Numbers. · Not investment advice. Some links pay us a commission — disclosures. Affiliate economics never determine research conclusions or rankings. © 2026 OunceDesk. Every figure classed OBSERVED / DERIVED / ESTIMATED / SPECULATIVE.