Chapman has in mind the fatter but less characteristic type of Indian sometimes seen on the reservations.” Chapman wrote again, and had the correspondence published in the numismatic press, but no one at the lame duck Roosevelt White House bothered to reply, according to Burdette, “the new coins were issued and would remain as they were for twenty-five years, or until Congress ordered them changed”. Bigelow’s letter replied to Chapman’s complaint about the Indian, “The answer to this is that the head was taken from a recent photograph of an Indian whose health was excellent. The President prepared a reply in which he expressed himself strongly to Chapman, but Bigelow persuaded him to substitute a milder letter over Bigelow’s signature, defending the new coins. They could not adequately stack, and they were in any event not handsome, with the Indian “emaciated”.Īccording to numismatic historian Roger Burdette, “Chapman’s letter caused some consternation at the White House”. The indentations in the new coins would harbor dirt and germs, Chapman argued the coins could be easily counterfeited by carving a disc of metal. Philadelphia numismatist Samuel Chapman wrote to Roosevelt in early December to criticize the new coins.

The new gold pieces entered circulation in early November 1908, attracting some negative comment. This meant that automated sorting machines could not reliably sort them when mixed with earlier coins. The new coins proved to be thinner than earlier coins of their denomination, due to the field being raised above the design. Landis wrote to his counterparts at the other mints, advising them that the planchets, or blanks, needed to be shaved very slightly to strike properly. Premier Coin Galleries - Indian Head Quarter Eagleĭies for the half eagle were sent to the mints in Denver and San Francisco both western mints reported difficulties in striking the new pieces.

Us liberty coins 1925 used