The popular 1908-S Indian Head Half Eagle has the lowest mintage figure of any San Francisco Half Eagle of this design. It also has the third lowest mintage of any coin of this type, trailing only the 1909-O and the 1911-D.

Despite this issue’s low mintage and its relative rarity in all grades, it is actually among the most common Indian Head Half Eagles in higher grades. There are a surprising number of Gem and Superb Gem pieces known.

Exceptional Quality and Striking Details of the 1908-S San Francisco Half Eagle

The 1908-S is among the best struck San Francisco Half Eagles. Most examples show complete definition on both the obverse and reverse with strong feathers in the Indian’s bonnet and bold wing and eagle detail on the eagle. The mintmark is well-defined and can be clearly seen even on lower grade examples.

The surfaces typically show some scattered marks but the 1908-S tends to come less abraded than the other San Francisco Half Eagles of this type. The luster is excellent and it certainly ranks as one of the best San Francisco issues of this type. The texture is often soft and very frosty with an almost “velvet-like” appearance. Other pieces exist that show a satiny appearance. These two different looks are very distinctive and the same scenario exists for the 1908-S eagle.