LIBERTY HEAD (NO
MOTTO ON REVERSE) FIVE DOLLARS OR HALF EAGLE (1839-1866)
Gobrecht’s
LIBERTY HEAD (NO MOTTO ON REVERSE) FIVE DOLLARS OR HALF EAGLE:
When Mint Engraver William Kneass was unable to resume
his duties after a debilitating stroke, Christian Gobrecht
was asked to do his work, which included making a new half
eagle that would be uniform with the eagle. The Liberty Head
(No Motto on Reverse) half eagle was minted from 1839 to 1866.
Gobrecht’s design for the Liberty
Head (No Motto on Reverse) half eagle shows a left facing
profile of Liberty wearing a LIBERTY inscribed coronet.
Her hair is tied in the back and there are two loose curls
that hang down her neck. Around the head are thirteen six-pointed
stars, and the date is below the truncation. At the periphery
of the coin are dentils. The Liberty Head (No Motto on Reverse)
half eagle coin also has a reeded edge. The reverse of the
Liberty Head (No Motto on Reverse) half eagle coin shows
a heraldic eagle similar to the one on the Classic Head
eagle. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds
the eagle, except for its wing tips, in an arc. The denomination
is below, separated with dots, and written as FIVE D.
In the 1860’s the Liberty Head (No
Motto on Reverse) half eagle was subjected to an unusual
form of counterfeiting. Genuine gold coins were sawed in
half edgewise and the gold was removed from the interiors.
It was replaced by platinum discs of corresponding weight.
A new edge was added to hide the change. The coins rang
well, and had the proper weight and color. Although many
solutions were proposed, the problem resolved itself when
the market price of platinum exceeded that of gold. From
time to time these altered coins appear. They are valuable
today for their bullion content and, for some, as interesting
curiosities.
The new variety of the half eagle was supposed
to be minted in 1866 adding the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. However,
9,000 1866-S Liberty Head (No Motto on Reverse) half eagle
coins were struck. Later in the year 34,920 1866-S Liberty
Head (Motto on Reverse) half eagle coins were minted in
San Francisco. Evidently the new dies were shipped to the
mint in California, but they did not arrive before the old
dies were used to make the No Motto coins.
Mintages of the Liberty Head (No Motto
on Reverse) half eagle range from a high of 688,084 in 1861
to a tiny mintage of 268. In 1854, there was a shortage
of acids needed to separate the silver from gold at the
San Francisco Mint; consequently, the output was severely
limited. The 1854-S half eagle is so rare that NGC has certified
only one coin and PCGS has none. Because of the rarity of
this coin, it is virtually impossible to complete a full
date and mint set of Liberty Head (No Motto on Reverse)
half eagle coins. The next lowest mintage is the 1865 with
a mintage of 1,270. Both grading services show 48 coins
certified for 1865, which does not account for resubmissions
and crossovers.
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