Liberty Gold Coins: A Popular Series

The US mint announced in February this year that the proof version of Buchanan’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin was no longer available. Demand for this series of coins has been tremendous large due to the attractive Liberty design. The series is part of the US mint’s gold coins to honor the spouses of the former US presidents. This 1/2 ounce .9999 fine gold series itself typically honors the first ladies of America with a portrait of the individual on the obverse and an image emblematic of their life on the reverse. However, in case of presidents who did not have spouses while they served as America’s president, the Liberty gold coins feature a Liberty design that was depicted on a circulating coin during the President’s time in office. The obverse or heads side of the Buchanan’s Liberty First Spouse Gold Coin features a reproduction of the Liberty Head Quarter Eagle designed by Christian Gobrecht. That coin was issued from 1840 to 1907 — Buchanan served 1857-1861.

History of Liberty Gold Coins

Although, the ability to buy gold coins are available in various denominations and designs, the Liberty gold coins that were minted and circulated during 1838-1908 are one of the most popular series of gold coins in the American coin history.

Liberty gold coins were minted from 1839 to 1907 and are considered to be rare gold coins. Investment in these coins has been profitable for many investors. The Liberty head composition is made up of 90% of gold and was used as the official US currency till 1933 when most of the gold coins were melted down during the great depression period.

Liberty gold coins are preferred over the gold bullion because of its rarity, historical value and monetary value.

Types of Liberty Gold Coins

Liberty gold coins are available in several denominations:

• The $20 Liberty gold coin: Also known as the Double Eagle, this series of coins were minted from 1850 to 1907. The gold content of these coins is 0.9675oz.
• The $10 Liberty Gold Coin or the Eagles: First minted in 1838, this series of Liberty gold coins was inspired by Christian Gobrecht’s design from a portrait of Venus. These coins contain nearly a half ounce of pure gold and their value appreciates quickly in response to the rise in gold prices. These Liberty gold coins are also available in two versions- with and without motto.
• The $5 Liberty Gold coins or the Half Eagles are the first gold coins struck by the US government. The $5 Liberty head gold coin design was popular from 1839 until 1907 and is available in two versions. The first version did not have any motto and was minted from 1839 to 1866..The design of these coins was created by Christian Gobrecht and features a Liberty head encircled by 13 stars representing the first 13 colonies. The reverse side of this coin has a majestic eagle with outstretched wings and surrounded by the words United States of America. In 1866, the motto “In God We Trust.” was added above the head of the eagle.
• The $2.5 Liberty Head Gold Coins: These are amongst the rarest and the most highly prized coins from this series. Originally minted from 1840 to 1907, these quarter eagle $2.5 gold coins have the braided hair style. These coins were produced at five mints, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, New Orleans and San Francisco. The weight of the coin is 0.12094 ounce, with a diameter of 18 millimeter.
  

Although thousands of Liberty gold coins were minted by the US mint, most of them were melted as mandated by the US government during its gold recall order of 1933. Currently only about 5% of the original mintage remains and thus these Liberty gold coins are highly demanded as a collector’s item. The value of the Liberty gold coins is determined by their denomination, their condition and the place where they were minted.