The 1909-O Indian Head Half Eagle is one of the most popular and numismatically significant issues in the entire Indian Head Half Eagle series. It is the only issue of this design produced in New Orleans and it has the lowest mintage figure of any business strike in the series.

The overall rarity of this date has been mildly overstated in the past. The 1909-O Indian Head Half Eagle is generally relatively available in the EF and AU grades, although nice AU55 to AU58 pieces are somewhat scarce. It is in Uncirculated that this issue becomes very scarce. Most are seen in grades MS60 to MS61 and a 1909-O in MS62 is very rare. In any grade higher than this, the 1909-O is extremely rare and Gems are among the rarest and most coveted 20th century United States gold issues. 

Rarity and Striking Details of the 1909-D Half Eagle

There are only two or three true Gems known and these are off the market in tightly-held collections. For all intents and purposes, the collector of high end Indian Head Half Eagles is going to have to make do with a piece in the MS62 to MS63 range.

This is a much better struck issue than most people realize with the centers usually completely detailed. The mintmark is often weak and it may show strong doubling on its left side.

The surfaces are nearly always heavily abraded and most examples show evidence of commercial use. This was clearly an issue that saw a good deal of circulation in the local economy.