1929-P Indian Head Half Eagle

Key date

The final Indian Head half eagle, struck thirteen years after the previous issue and four years before gold was recalled. Very few reached circulation, and most of the mintage was melted, which makes it one of the major rarities of the series despite a six-figure figure below.

Mintage

Business strikes: 662,000
Mint: Philadelphia (no mintmark)
Mintage rank: 18 of 24

Rank 1 is the lowest business-strike mintage in the series. Mintage is what the Mint produced, not what survives. Gold coin was recalled in 1933 under Executive Order 6102 and the Treasury melted much of what it held, so survival across this series runs well below the figures below. The 1929 is the extreme case: a six-figure mintage and a genuine rarity.

Reading the figure

Among the 9 Philadelphia issues in the series it is the 6th smallest. It is the only issue of the series struck in 1929. Series-wide output rose sharply that year: 662,000 against 240,000 in 1916. 1929 was the 2nd smallest production year of the 10 in the series.

Every sentence above is computed from the mintage table on this page, not asserted separately.

About this figure

Gold coin was recalled in 1933 under Executive Order 6102 and the Treasury melted much of what it held, so survival across this series runs well below the reported figures.

Scarcity tier

Key date

Assigned from reported mintage alone: under 750,000 is a key date, under 2,500,000 is a semi-key.

This is a reproducible label derived from the mintage column, not a market valuation and not a Coin Curator price opinion. The same thresholds apply to every series on this site. Several dates are far harder or far easier to obtain than their mintage implies; where that is true, it is stated above.

Grading an incuse design is not like grading any other. The devices on this coin are sunk into the surface rather than raised above it, which is unique to the Indian Head quarter eagle and half eagle among regular United States coins. Read the full note on the series page.

What to check before buying

Nothing about this date calls for a check beyond the ones that apply to any certified coin.

And for any certified coin

Verify the certification number on the grading service’s own lookup rather than from a photograph of the label, match the listing images to the certification record including grade and any variety attribution, look for cleaning, compare the mintmark against published photographs of the genuine issue, and read the return policy before buying. The grading guide covers each of these in full.

Coin Curator does not grade, authenticate, or appraise coins, and publishes no price or population data. These are verification steps, not a valuation.

Verify a certification number

Look a 1929-Pcertification number up on the service’s own site. A photograph of a label proves nothing.

PCGS cert lookup NGC cert lookup ANACS cert lookup

Each service publishes its own guarantee with conditions and exclusions. Compare PCGS, NGC and ANACS.

Find a 1929-P for sale

Opens an eBay search for this exact date and mint. Coin Curator does not list inventory, hold stock, or quote prices; verify each listing, seller, and return policy directly.

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Common questions

How many 1929-P Indian Head half eagles were minted?

The Philadelphia Mint struck 662,000 1929-P Indian Head half eagles for circulation. That is the 18th lowest business-strike mintage of the 24 date and mintmark combinations in the series.

Is the 1929-P Indian Head half eagle a key date?

Coin Curator labels it a key date, assigned from reported mintage alone: under 750,000 struck is a key date and under 2,500,000 is a semi-key. The same thresholds are used for every series on this site, so the tiers are comparable between them. That label describes production, not market value or how hard the coin is to find today. The final Indian Head half eagle, struck thirteen years after the previous issue and four years before gold was recalled. Very few reached circulation, and most of the mintage was melted, which makes it one of the major rarities of the series despite a six-figure figure below.

What should I check before buying a 1929-P Indian Head half eagle?

Verify the certification number on the grading service's own lookup page, match the listing photographs to the certification record, check for cleaning, and compare the mintmark shape and position against published photographs of the genuine issue.

Why do sources give different mintage figures for the 1929-P?

Gold coin was recalled in 1933 under Executive Order 6102 and the Treasury melted much of what it held, so survival across this series runs well below the reported figures.

Guides for this coin

All guides →

Market Context

Pre-1933 Gold Coin Collecting and Market Context

Research Saint-Gaudens, Liberty Head, and Indian Head gold by exact type, date, grade, surfaces, current metal value, and coin-specific evidence.

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How to Spot a Counterfeit or Doctored Coin

Use weight, dimensions, surfaces, mintmark details, holder inspection, and certification records as screening checks. Learn the warning signs of altered coins and fake slabs.

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What Makes a Coin a “Key Date”, and Why It Drives Value

Coins from the same series can differ sharply in availability and demand. Learn how date, mintmark, variety, grade, and surfaces shape key-date research.