In March 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a law which halted the production and release of gold coins. This effectively ended the production of Eagles, which had begun in 1795.

The 1933 Indian Head Eagle is the only gold coin with this magical date to be considered legal. It is a much rarer coin than its original mintage figure suggests as nearly every piece was melted. At one point it was believed that fewer than two dozen examples were known but this estimate seems to be on the low side and the actual number is more likely somewhere in the area of three to four dozen.

Since this issue did not circulate, it is almost never seen in grades below MS63 to MS64. But Gems are extremely rare.

1933 Head Eagle – Strong Strike, Detracting Obverse Marks

The 1933 Indian Head Eagle is usually seen with a good strike. The obverse shows a bit of weakness on the curls below BER in LIBERTY and a few pieces have some lightness on the tips of the feathers from 3:00 to 5:00. The reverse is always seen with good detail although the breast feathers are not fully defined.

For some reason, this date is usually seen with scattered deep marks. The typical 1933 may not have as many abrasions as on the typical 1932 but the marks seen on the 1933 are often located in prime focal points and they can be fairly detracting. More often than not, the marks are located on the obverse and on a few pieces they are positioned squarely on the jaw or cheek of the Indian.