1913-S

The 1913-S Indian Head Half Eagle came out of San Francisco at a combined 408,000 pieces, a figure that covers two separate catalog entries. This page handles the standard issue, the version with a clearly readable S mintmark above the arrow shafts on the reverse. A second listing handles the Weak S variety, where the same die problems that plagued the 1912-S branch returned and reduced the mintmark to a soft nub or erased it almost entirely. As with the prior year, the well-struck Strong S is harder to locate than the eroded version, since the muddied look became typical for the date.

Authentication starts with the mintmark. Under a loupe the S should read with distinct upper and lower curves and a visible serif, not a fused lump that requires interpretation. Comparing a candidate against a known Weak S photo settles the call quickly. From there the incuse design verification follows: feathers in the headdress, the cheekbone, and the recessed Indian portrait should sit below the field rather than standing above it, with the rims and field plane unbroken. Specifications should land at 8.359 grams and 21.6 millimeters, with a specific gravity near 17.16 consistent with the 90 percent gold composition. Strike quality on the date tends to run soft through the central reverse even when the mintmark is sharp, so a Strong S with crisp headdress detail carries a real premium over one that is technically Strong S but otherwise mushy.

For collectors the date is a true condition rarity. About Uncirculated coins turn up with some regularity, lower Mint State grades take patience, and gem material is genuinely scarce, with population reports showing only a handful of pieces certified MS-65 or finer across both grading services. A PCGS MS-64 with CAC approval listed recently at LCR Coin sits at the upper edge of where most Strong S buyers operate, and the spread between MS-63 and MS-64 widens sharply for properly struck examples. Most date-set collectors will settle on a sound AU or low MS standard 1913-S and add a Weak S example separately to round out the variety story. For the broader story of the design and what followed, see the Indian Head Half Eagle series history.