The 1908-S Indian eagle has long been considered one of the rarities of this series. Most of the mintage went into circulation as this date and mint are commonly found with wear -- others for reasons unclear are found in high Mint State grades. Another factor which reflects the whims of chance is the fact that a few dozen of these are actually in Gem condition or finer. Given the modest mintage of 59,850 pieces and the early date of issue for this series, this is indeed quite extraordinary.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the November 2023 Showcase Auction, where it realized $240,000.