The half eagle is a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
that was produced for circulation from 1795 to 1929 and in commemorative and bullion coins since 1983. Composed almost entirely of gold, its face value of five
dollars
Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, U ...
is half that of the
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
coin. Production of the half eagle was authorized by the
Coinage Act of 1792
The Coinage Act of 1792 (also known as the Mint Act; officially: ''An act establishing a mint, and regulating the Coins of the United States''), passed by the United States Congress on April 2, 1792, created the United States dollar as the countr ...
, and it was the first gold coin minted by the United States.
Turban Head
![NNC-US-1797-G$5-Turban Head (heraldic eagle)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/NNC-US-1797-G%245-Turban_Head_%28heraldic_eagle%29.jpg)
The design and composition of the half eagle changed many times over the years; it was originally designed by Keenan Barber Ganz. At this time the coin contained .9167
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
and .0833
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
. It had a diameter of approximately , a weight of 8.75 grams, and a reeded edge. The obverse design, or "Turban Head", depicted a capped portrait of
Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
facing to the right. The reverse depicted a small eagle. This type was produced from 1795 to 1798. Simultaneously, another type was minted that depicted a larger heraldic eagle on the reverse with the inscription "
E PLURIBUS UNUM
''E pluribus unum'' ( , , ) – Latin for "Out of many, one" (also translated as "One out of many" or "One from many") – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal along with '' Annuit cœptis'' (Latin for "he ...
". This type was produced through 1807.
Draped Bust
From 1807 to 1812, a new type designed, titled the "Draped Bust" (also referred to as the "Capped Bust"), was produced by John Reich. The "Draped Bust" design featured a round-capped Liberty facing left on the obverse and a modified eagle on the reverse. For the first time, the value "5 D." was placed on the reverse of the coin to indicate its value. In 1813 a modified version of the Draped Bust was introduced, removing much of the bustline ("Capped Head") and giving Liberty an overall larger appearance. This design lasted through 1834. Another modification occurred in 1829 when the diameter of the coin was reduced slightly to 23.8 mm, although the overall design remained unchanged.
Classic Head
![NNC-US-1834-G$5-Classic Head](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/NNC-US-1834-G%245-Classic_Head.jpg)
By 1834, the gold in the half eagle had been worth more than its face value for several years. The
Act of June 28, 1834 called for a reduction in the gold used. The weight of the coin was reduced to 8.36 grams, the diameter reduced to 22.5 mm, and the composition changed to .8992 gold and .1008 silver and copper. A new obverse, the "Classic Head", was created by
William Kneass
William Kneass ( "niece"; September 25, 1780 – August 27, 1840) was the second Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1824 until his death in 1840.
Kneass is credited with designing the "Classic Head" motif, which appeared on numerous ...
for the altered coin. The reverse still depicted the modified eagle introduced in 1813, but "E PLURIBUS UNUM" was removed to distinguish further the new composition. On January 18, 1837, the gold content of this type was increased to .900 in accordance with the Coinage Act of 1837.
Liberty Head
In 1839 the coin was redesigned again. The new obverse was designed by
Christian Gobrecht
Christian Gobrecht (December 23, 1785 – July 23, 1844) was the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1840 until his death in 1844. He was responsible for designing the famous " Seated Liberty" designs, which were in turn the di ...
and is known as the "Liberty Head or "Coronet head". The reverse design remained largely the same, although the value was changed from "5 D." to "FIVE D.".
For those struck at the Philadelphia Mint, there was no longer any silver in the coin - its composition was now .900 gold and .100 copper. However, gold ore used at the southern branch mints of Charlotte and Dahlonega had a high natural silver content, and many of these coins contained up to five percent silver, giving them a distinct so-called "green gold" color.
Its weight was virtually the same, 8.359 grams, but the diameter was reduced one final time, to 21.6 mm, in 1840, for a gold content of 0.242 Troy Oz. This design was used for nearly 70 years, from 1839 to 1908, with a modest change in 1866, when "IN GOD WE TRUST" was placed on the reverse above the eagle.
The Liberty Head half eagle is the only coin of a single design to be minted at seven U.S. Mints: Philadelphia, Dahlonega, Charlotte, New Orleans, San Francisco, Carson City, and Denver.
Scarcer dates and coins of higher grades can be worth much more, and all Charlotte, Carson City and Dahlonega pieces are scarce and valuable.
Indian Head
![NNC-US-1908-G$5-Indian Head](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/NNC-US-1908-G%245-Indian_Head.jpg)
In 1908, the final type was first produced and designed by
Bela Lyon Pratt. The composition, weight, and diameter of the coin remained unchanged, but both the obverse and reverse were drastically altered. The new design matched the new
quarter eagle
The quarter eagle was a gold coin issued by the United States with a value of two hundred and fifty cents, or two dollars and fifty cents. It was given its name in the Coinage Act of 1792, as a derivation from the US ten-dollar eagle coin.
His ...
design of the same date. These two series are unique in United States coinage because the design and inscriptions are stamped in incuse, rather than being raised from the surface, meaning that the flat surfaces are the highest points of the coin. The obverse depicted a Native American head wearing a feathered headdress. The reverse depicted a perched eagle with the inscriptions "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and "IN GOD WE TRUST". Production of the half eagle was suspended during World War I and not resumed until 1929, the final year of issue.
Due to higher demand common date
Indian Head half eagles tend to be worth slightly more than common date Liberty Head half eagles.
Distinctions
The $5 denomination has the distinction of being the only denomination for which coins were minted at eight US mints. Prior to 1838 all half eagles were minted in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
because there were no other operating mints. In 1838, the
Charlotte Mint
The Charlotte Mint was the first United States branch mint. It was located in Charlotte, North Carolina and specialized in gold coinage.
History
Following the first documented discovery of gold in the United States, the country's first gold mine ...
and the
Dahlonega Mint
The Dahlonega Mint was a former branch of the United States Mint built during the Georgia Gold Rush to help the miners get their gold assayed and minted, without having to travel to the Philadelphia Mint. It was located at (34°31.8′N 83°59.2 ...
produced half eagles of the Coronet type in their first years of operation, and continued to mint half eagles until 1861, their last year of operation. The
New Orleans Mint
The New Orleans Mint (french: Monnaie de La Nouvelle-Orléans) operated in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a branch mint of the United States Mint from 1838 to 1861 and from 1879 to 1909. During its years of operation, it produced over 427 million ...
minted half eagles from 1840 to 1861. The
San Francisco Mint first produced half eagles in 1854, its first year of operation, as did
Carson City
Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...
in 1870, and
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
in 1906.
Although circulating half eagle production was discontinued in 1929, half eagle
commemorative and $5 denominated (1/10 ounce)
bullion coins were minted at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
starting in the late twentieth century.
Proof coins were produced at Philadelphia from 1859 on.
List of circulating designs
![NNC-US-1822-G$5-Capped Head (large diameter)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/NNC-US-1822-G%245-Capped_Head_%28large_diameter%29.jpg)
*Turban Head 1795–1807
**Turban Head, Small Eagle 1795–1798
**Turban Head, Large Eagle 1795–1807
*Draped Bust 1807–1812
*Capped Head 1813–1834
*Classic Head 1834–1838
*Liberty Head (Coronet) 1839–1908
**Coronet, without motto 1839–1866
**Coronet, with motto 1866–1908
*
Indian Head 1908–1916, 1929
References
*''
A Guide Book of United States Coins
''A Guide Book of United States Coins (The Official Red Book)'', first compiled by R. S. Yeoman in 1946, is a price guide for coin collectors of coins of the United States dollar, commonly known as the Red Book.
Along with its sister publicatio ...
'' (56th edition) by
R.S. Yeoman
Richard Sperry Yeoman (born Richard S. Yeo; August 15, 1904 – November 9, 1988) was an American commercial artist and coin collector who marketed coin display boards for Whitman Publishing. Hired by that company in 1932, he redesigned the boar ...
ed. Kenneth Bressett, 2003
Complete U.S. Coin History
External links
"Rare Half Eagle" (''Professional Coin Grading Service'')
{{Coinage (United States)
1795 introductions
United States gold coins
Five-base-unit coins
Goddess of Liberty on coins
Eagles on coins