In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt decided that American gold coins lacked artistic merit and needed a new look. Roosevelt chose master sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign the $10 Eagleand the $20 Double Eagle. Bela Lyon Pratt, a student of Saint-Gaudens, was chosen to design the new Quarter and Half Eagles.

One of the few U.S. coin designs not featuring Lady Liberty, BelaLyon Pratt's Indian Head design caused a major stir when it began circulating in 1908. Besides depicting an Indian brave instead of Liberty, the coins also featured a rare incuse design where the images and legends sink below the surface of the coin, rather than rising above it. Today, Pratt's Indian Head design is considered an important aspect of the early 20th Century renaissance of Americancoinage.

A Magnificent Limited-Edition 24k Gold-Layered Reverse Proof
To celebrate one of the most unique designs in U.S. coinage history, American Mint has created an exclusivemasterpiece: the 1909-O Indian Head Half Eagle Reverse Proof Commemorative Coin. Minted to the highest quality "Proof" standard, this reverse proof has a matte-finish background with the sculpted elements polished to a shiny mirror-finish -- opposite of the standard coining procedure and highly coveted among collectors.