Blanchard

Few coins have as much beauty, intricacy of design and appeal as the Indian Half Eagle. A proud native American chieftain, the model unnamed and his tribe unknown, dominates the obverse of the Half Eagle; on the reverse, an American eagle rests atop a bundle of arrows and an olive branch, symbols of war and peace. When the coin was first circulated, it caused a great deal of controversy. The main concern was that the recessed devices housed disease-carrying bacteria. Thus the public was understandably reluctant to preserve even uncirculated specimens for generations to follow. Furthermore, because Pratt did not choose to use rims to protect the surface of the coin, uncirculated examples are scarce and superb gems are virtually unheard of.