1915 $2.50 MS62 Certification #45947522, PCGS #7948

This auction opened on the 10th of October 2022 @ 8:29:43 pm PDT with an opening bid of $250.00. This auction had 8 bids made by 5 bidders. I entered my bid @ 8:53:10 am PDT on the 28th of October 2022 and was willing to go as high as $693.51. My bid opened @ $260.00 and was increased to $530.00, & the final $627.00 @ 1:39:26 pm PDT. This auction closed @ 6:36:18 pm PDT on the 6th of November 2022. The final bid price had an additional 10% Buyers Fee added. On the 24th of November 2022, I inspected the coin with my Vantage 10X Loupe and describe it this way. The Obverse has 2 small dings around the Indian's chin, a small scratch moving at an angle down from above the nose, skipping the nose, but then continuing below the nose, 2 small dings on the upper cheek of the Indian, a mark between the lower 2 bars of the "E" of "LIBERTY", a scratch below and between the "E" & "R" of "LIBERTY" and the top of the Indian's head, a darker bronze colored spot on the head bonnet to the right of the eye and to the right of the headband of the bonnet, a small ding just above the top of the "1" of the date., The Reverse has 2-3 dings just to the right of the "E" Of " PLURIBUS", light scratches in the field between the Eagle & "UNITED", a very light ding just above the Eagle's head above the eye, scratches in the field to the right of the Eagle's head & "OF AMERICA", and additional scratches within the "IN GOD WE TRUST", & more scratches below "TRUST". The Eagle itself looks very good without much sign of scratches. This is a very nice coin. This coin is held in a PCGS "Tri-View" "Gold Shield" holder Generation 6.1S used from October of 2020 until the present.

Charles Morgan

The 1915 Indian Head Quarter Eagle

The Indian Head Quarter Eagle was struck in two distinct periods: 1908–1915 and 1925–1929. The production gap was a direct consequence of World War I, which prompted the United States to issue severe export restrictions. This conflict triggered a global economic shift that transformed gold from a common tool of daily commerce into a strategic national reserve—a shift that impacted all U.S. gold denominations.

World War I had a catastrophic impact on the global gold standard. The war was an "Empire Killer," not only because of the staggering losses on battlefields like Ypres and Verdun, but because the cost of financing the war bankrupted national treasuries and set the stage for the global financial strife to come.

By the time gold coinage resumed, the economic landscape had changed. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 had consolidated the federal government's ability to manage the national currency and fostered a public willingness to forgo physical metal in favor of government-backed currency notes.

Production resumed in the mid-1920s after Britain returned to the Gold Standard. As a leading creditor nation, America produced gold coins to reinforce its strategic holdings and meet the demands of international trade.

Collecting the 1915 Indian Head Quarter Eagle

The 1915 Indian Head Quarter Eagle (#7948) was the tenth issue in the series. Struck exclusively at the Philadelphia Mint, 606,000 were produced for circulation, along with 100 Matte Proofs (#7964). Notably, 1915 marked the final year for Proof Quarter Eagles.

The issue is typically well-struck with average luster for the series; a characteristic yellow gold hue is common. The incuse design poses a unique challenge for the Indian Head Quarter Eagle and Indian Head Half Eagle series. Because the fields represent the highest points on the coin's surface, they offer no protection against contact marks or abrasions. Consequently, most original coins grade no finer than PCGS MS64. In David Akers’ United States Gold Coins: An Analysis of Auction Records (1975), the expert ranked this date ninth out of fifteen for Gems. Nearly 50 years later, Akers’ observations remain accurate. To date, no coins have graded finer than PCGS MS66—the typical "top pop"grade for the series.

 

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