The 1914-S Indian Head Half Eagle is one of the true “condition rarities” in the Indian Head eagle series. It is very comparable to the 1913-S in terms of overall rarity but it is far rarer in high grades and in MS64 it ranks not only as the rarest date in this series but one of the rarest 20th century gold coins of any denomination.

The quality of strike seen on the 1914-S Indian Head Half Eagle is better than on the 1912-S and the 1913-S but not as sharp as on the earlier San Francisco issues of this type. The centers are basically well defined although some pieces have slight weakness on the inner band of the headdress and on the eagle’s left (facing) leg. The mintmark is typically very weak and it appears as a blob. On some examples, it is so weak that it can be easily overlooked. There are a small number known with sharp mintmarks and these are worth a strong premium over typical strikes.

1914-S Half Eagle: Surface Quality, Luster, and Coloration

On nearly all known examples, the surfaces are very heavily marked and there are often deep, detracting abrasions on the cheek of the Indian and in the left obverse field. The luster on most 1914-S Half Eagles is below average. It is typically dull with a granular look. There are a few pieces known that have very good frosty luster and these pieces invariably bring a significant premium because of their excellent appearance.

The coloration most often seen on 1914-S Half Eagles is a rich orange-gold hue. This is quite attractive and very distinctive in appearance. But most have been cleaned or dipped at one time and examples with very good color are extremely scarce and desirable.