$5 Gold Liberty

The $5 Liberty Gold coin series is one of the oldest in U.S. currency. Its roots date back to the 1792 passage of the Coinage Act, which authorized the official creation of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. Three years later, the first in the series was minted, marking the beginning of gold coin production in the young country. The $5 Gold Liberty series underwent several changes in the period between 1795 and 1908, when the $5 Indian Head replaced it. As a result, there is much to interest collectors in the series, including many rare years. As well, those interested in buying $5 Gold Liberty mintage for investment purposes will enjoy certain privacy benefits, too. Whatever your reason for buying, you’ll find a wide selection of high-quality $5 Gold Liberty mintage in the Mint State Gold online store. Check out our current inventory below.

$5 Liberty Gold Coin Series Overview

Collectors break down the $5 Liberty Gold coin mintage into several different eras:

• Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle (1795-1807): U.S. Mint chief engraver Robert Scot designed the first Half Eagle coins, which featured a portrait of Liberty on the obverse and, initially, a small eagle perched on a branch on the reverse. After complaints that the original eagle was too naturalistic, it was replaced by the Heraldic Eagle design, adapted from the Great Seal of the United States. Several additional changes, most of them minor, occurred between 1795 and 1807.
• Capped Bust (1807-1834): In 1807, new Mint director Robert Patterson appointed John Reich to revise the Half Eagle design. The result was the Capped Bust and Capped Head series. The Capped Bust coins feature Lady Liberty facing left wearing a cloth cap, a design unlike any other depiction of the allegorical figure. In 1813, Reich revised it to the Capped Head design, which ran until 1834. However, due to gold shortages, many coins from this period were melted, and are extremely rare.
• Classic Head (1834-1838): The passage of the Mint Act of 1834 aimed to address some of the scarcity issues that led to the frequent melts of the Capped Bust era. As a result, $5 Gold Liberty mintage reentered general circulation that year, and a contemporary design was commissioned to mark the occasion. William Kneass' artwork preserved the reverse of the previous issue, but reimaged the portrait of Liberty on the obverse. While more than 8 million were minted during its four-year production run, an economic depression in 1837 led to the series’ sudden, unexpected end.
• Liberty Head (1839-1908): The last and longest era of U.S. $5 Liberty mintage spanned from 1839 to 1908. These coins featured a Neoclassical-inspired design by sculptor Christian Gobrecht, which was changed most significantly in 1866 with the addition of the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.” 1878 and later $5 Liberty head half-eagles are relatively abundant, though many rarities exist in the years before that.

Buy $5 Liberty Gold Coins Mintage Online with Mint State Gold

Mint State Gold is a leading authority on American gold coins. Our inventory changes often and routinely includes hard-to-find pieces. If there's a specific coin you're looking to add to your collection, we can help. If you're considering buying pre-1933 gold coins for investment purposes, we can recommend a selection of products based on your goals.

Browse our current selection, or get in touch with a representative for assistance.