Anyone who collects American gold coins has heard of the United States $5 Liberty gold coin. The gold coin is also called the Liberty Half Eagle and was minted with the country motto between the years 1866 and 1908. Among gold coins available on the market, the Liberty Half Eagle is among the most easily obtainable because several of the coins survived through the years. The survival rate is particularly high when it relates to the dates from 1880 and later.

History:

The history of the $5 Liberty gold coin is a long and starts with the approval by congress to make a gold coin called the Half Eagle. The United States congress first passed approval to design and strike on April 2, 1792. After the approval, a design was created that was called the Capped Bust to Right and Small Eagle which featured the face of Lady Liberty looking toward the right.

The original 1792 design was the first gold coin the United States minted and became the only gold coin minted in all seven U.S. Mints throughout its circulation. The 1792 design did not have the U.S. motto “In God We Trust” put onto the coin and the design was changed throughout the history of the coin.

The final design of the $5 Liberty gold coin is called the Liberty or the Coronet and was designed by Christian Golbrecht in 1839. While the design was the last, one final change was added to the coin in 1866, the United States motto of “In God We Trust” was added to the coin.

Of the $5 Liberty gold coins, the most common coin available is the final version that was minted from 1866 to 1908. Older coins are less common due to the scarcity of coins that survived. In general, when talking about the Liberty Half Eagle, the reference includes the coins with the country motto rather than the older coins.

The Design:

The design of the U.S. $5 Liberty gold coin is the means of differentiating the coin from other coins that might look similar, particularly when comparing the older coins to the more common 1866 and newer versions of the coin.

The Liberty Half Eagle Coronet design made by Christian Golbrecht shows the face and capped bust of Lady Liberty looking toward the right side on the obverse side of the coin. Her hair is pulled into a tight bun and has beads or pearls in a string decorating the bun to create a more feminine look. Lady Liberty is crowned with a coronet that has the word “Liberty” written in it. Every letter of Liberty is capitalized to bring the statement into clear focus. Around Lady Liberty’s head are 13 stars that have six points to represent the original 13 states. The date is written under the bust of Lady Liberty.

The reverse side of the coin shows the American bald eagle spreading his wings and turning his face to the right side of the coin. He holds three arrows in his talons while standing among olive branches to display that while he wishes for peace and harmony, he is willing to take a stand and fight if the need arises. On his breast, the eagle has a shield showing the stars and stripes of the United States flag. The term “Five D” to show the denomination of the Liberty Half Eagle sits to the bottom of the eagle. The term “United States of America” wraps around the sides and top of the coin to surround the proud eagle. All of the coins after 1866 also have the “In God We Trust” motto written in a ribbon directly above the eagle’s head and below the words “States of” on the coin. The earlier coins do not display the motto. All of the coins have the mint mark on the reverse with the eagle to show which mint made the coin.

Buying the Coin:

Anyone who wants to buy the coin should learn about the specific year’s scarcity before making any purchase. Some years are more common than others while other years are rarer. In general, coins from 1875 and the coins struck in the San Francisco mint during the 1860’s are considered rare. The 1880 coin is one of the most common years and is thus less rare.

References

Coin Site
Gold Line: $5 Liberty
AmerGold: $5 Liberty Gold Coins
USA Gold: U.S. Liberty $5 Gold Coin

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