Lot 1722
1908. PCGS graded MS-66 PQ. CAC Approved. Housed in an Old Green Holder. Rich shades of golden toning. Virtually superb for the grade. Almost every new issue meets with some form of protest from self-proclaimed art experts; and Bela Lyon Pratt's distinctive Indian Head Half Eagle was no exception. According to Breen, who did extensive research on the series, "Pratt's designs at once came under attack, probably because of their unfamiliar conception [their recessed relief design]. One of their severest critics was the Philadelphia coin dealer Samuel Hudson Chapman, who falsely alleged that the designs were antinaturalistic, unhygienic [!], incapable of stacking, and too easily counterfeited. (Chapman's major objection to the eagle was well founded, but the blame is on Barber, not Pratt; Pratt knew what a bald eagle looked like from working with models and photographs -- otherwise Roosevelt would not have approved his design! -- whereas Barber evidently did not.) Despite these objections, the design remained without further modification through 1929."
Today, one might have to ask a thousand dealers or collectors their opinion of the coin before hearing a negative view on the order of that provided by Chapman. Times change; aesthetic standards realign. Pop 96; 5 finer, 3 in 66+, 2 in 67 (PCGS # 7939) .
Estimated Value $7,000-UP.
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