1910-d Gold Indian Half Eagle $5 ms65+ USCG. The 1910-D is one of the more conditionally challenging issues ...

1910-d Gold Indian Half Eagle $5 ms65+ USCG. The 1910-D is one of the more conditionally challenging issues in the Indian half eagle series. It is easily obtainable in MS63 and lower grades, but in MS64 the 1910-D is highly scarce, and Gem examples are distinctly rare. Half eagle production totaled 193,600 pieces at the Denver Mint in 1910, not an overly low mintage in the context of the series, but hardly substantial. Many examples were distributed into circulation, though some quantities likely remained in Treasury vaults when Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102 in April 1933, calling for the recall and melting of all non-numismatic gold coins. Many of the Mint State survivors known to collectors can trace their origin to European gold reserves and bank vaults, where they were shipped shortly after their issuance, when gold exportation was commonplace.The sunken relief of Pratt's Indian Head design did little to protect the coins from becoming heavily abraded during transportation. The delicate, exposed fields were easily scarred, even from something as simple as being stacked by a bank associate, as the coins had no protective rim. This design characteristic is to blame for the scarcity of virtually all Indian half eagles in high grades, though the results are seen to an extreme extent on the 1910-D.The coin here offered represents a rare opportunity for the advanced Indian gold specialist to acquire a Registry-quality example. Soft golden luster emanates from beneath pale olive overtones on each side, showcasing bold design definition. Overall, this is a pleasing Gem example of one of the more challenging branch mint issues in the Indian half eagle series.