10 Dollars American Eagle "Indian Head" Gold Coin | 1908-1933

10 Dollars, Indian Head

16.718 g gross, .900 fine, holding 15.046 g of pure gold, 27.00 mm across. Designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and struck from 1907 to 1933.

Specifications

Sources disagree slightly on the diameter: 27.00 mm is the most widely published figure, while PCGS gives 26.80 mm and other references 26.92 mm. The statute fixed weight and fineness, not diameter.

An edge unlike any other US coin

Instead of reeding, the edge carries raised stars: forty-six on coins of 1907 to 1911 and forty-eight from 1912, after New Mexico and Arizona joined the Union. It is the fastest way to date a coin at a glance and a difficult feature to counterfeit.

Obverse and reverse

The obverse shows Liberty facing left in a feathered war bonnet inscribed LIBERTY, with thirteen stars above — a head Saint-Gaudens had originally drafted for the cent.

The reverse shows a standing eagle on a bundle of arrows entwined with an olive branch, with E PLURIBUS UNUM. IN GOD WE TRUST was absent from the first issues and added to the reverse in 1908 after Congress required it.

1933 and the recall

Executive Order 6102 of April 1933 required Americans to surrender gold coin, and the great majority of the pre-1933 issues were melted. That is why these coins are scarcer than their mintage figures suggest, and why survivors are graded and priced as numismatic items rather than as plain bullion.

Exactly 900, and why that matters

HMRC’s test for gold bullion is a fineness of not less than 900 thousandths. This coin is exactly 900. It clears the threshold, but with nothing to spare — a coin a shade below that line would attract VAT as a collectable rather than being treated as bullion gold.

VAT and UK capital gains tax

HMRC treats a coin minted after 1800 as bullion gold if it is at least 900 thousandths fine, is or has been legal tender in its country of origin, and normally sells at no more than 180 per cent of the open market value of its gold (VAT Notice 701/21A). The coin is .900 fine, was United States legal tender and is sold on the gold price, so it meets all three tests.

Capital gains tax is a separate matter. The UK exemption follows sterling legal tender, so it covers Sovereigns and Britannias but not a United States coin. This is a statement of the published rule, not tax advice — your own position depends on your circumstances.

Questions buyers ask

How much gold does it contain? 15.046 g of pure gold in a 16.718 g coin at .900 fineness.

Why does the edge have stars? Because Saint-Gaudens designed it that way. It is unique among United States coins.

Which date will I receive? A mixed date as available. Some dates are considerably scarcer than others and are priced accordingly.

Is it exempt from UK capital gains tax? No. That exemption follows sterling legal tender.

Authenticity checked at GoldInvest24 before dispatch. Other sizes are on the historic gold coins page. Live quotes on the precious metals prices page.