The runner-up for the most expensive lot at Heritage’s relocated Long Beach auction June 4 was a 1907 Indian Head, Rolled Rim, Periods $10 eagle graded Mint State 65 by Professional Coin Grading Service that sold for $240,000.

Heritage writes, “Struck in September 1907, the Rolled Rim 1907 Indian eagle is one of the rarest issues in the series, surpassed only by the 1933. It retains the smooth, sculpted details of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ original Wire Rim models but with a defined border that Chief Engraver Charles Barber turned into the die in an effort to improve stacking of the coins.” While 31,500 were struck, all but 50 were melted.

In 1907 Philadelphia Mint Superintendent John Landis praised this modified design that provided sharper design details than the Wire Rim subtype that preceded it, and also a prominent broad border that allowed for easier stacking.

The cataloger added, “Satiny luster shimmers in the fields and across the untouched devices, illuminating rich honey-gold color and the diagnostic, swirling die polish lines in the fields.” The design would undergo further modifications that year, assisting in production, but with arguably diminished artistry in those later issues.

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