United States $10 Gold Coin (Indian Head Eagle), 1932
Saint-Gaudens–Pratt design, adapted by Bela Lyon Pratt
Gold (approx. 90%), mounted as a pendant
United States Mint
This object combines American numismatic history with early 20th-century jewelry adaptation. The $10 Indian Head Eagle, first introduced in 1907, is notable for its incuse (sunken) design—an innovation that broke from centuries of raised coinage relief. The obverse presents a left-facing Liberty wearing a Native American war bonnet, surrounded by thirteen stars representing the original colonies; the reverse depicts a standing eagle on a bundle of arrows and an olive branch, symbolizing national strength and peace.
Dated 1932, this coin belongs to the final decades of circulating U.S. gold coinage, produced shortly before gold coins were withdrawn from circulation in 1933. The later conversion of the coin into a wearable pendant reflects a historic practice: transforming high-value coins into personal talismans, status symbols, or heirloom jewelry—particularly during periods of economic uncertainty. The mount allows the coin to be worn while preserving legibility of both obverse and reverse, emphasizing its dual identity as currency and adornment.
Pendant was purchased at auction in Stamford, United Kingdom.
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