Indian Head Half Eagle — Incuse $5
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
United States • 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
Issue years: 1908–1916, 1929
Fine gold: 0.241875 troy oz
United States • 5 U.S. dollars
Liberty Head Half Eagle — $5
Liberty Head Half Eagle — $5 has nominal fine gold of 0.241875 troy oz (7.523153 g) at the historical .900 standard. The Liberty Head $5 series uses one nominal gold-weight standard across its principal diameter/design changes. The photographed 1866 example belongs to the later, motto-bearing form.
National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History; photograph by Jaclyn Nash; paired photograph separated and resized · Image source · Public domain — U.S. federal Smithsonian photograph
National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History; photograph by Jaclyn Nash; paired photograph separated and resized · Image source · Public domain — U.S. federal Smithsonian photograph
When a fresh spot bid is available, melt values use fine-metal content × spot bid. CashForCoins guide buying offers use the separately configured percentage for each metal. Selected rare/numismatic coins require an appraisal. Dollar amounts remain unavailable when a fresh quote or buying percentage is missing.
Verified coin specifications
- Country
- United States
- Face denomination
- 5 U.S. dollars
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% alloy metal; historical copper or copper/silver alloy
- Gross weight (grams)
- 8.35905939
- Fineness
- 0.9
- Fine-metal weight (troy oz)
- 0.241875
- Diameter (mm)
- 21.6
- Edge
- Reeded
- Mint
- United States Mint; mint facility varies by issue
- Mint mark
- Varies by issue; inspect reference
- Issue years
- 1839–1908
No-motto and with-motto designs overlap in 1866. These dates combine all mints; the absence of a particular mint mark must not be inferred from a continuous family period.
- Source precision
- Nominal 129-grain gross standard; .900 gold; exact modern unit conversion stored to 8 decimals; fine-weight override derived from historical standard. Catalog reference diameter, not a tolerance or authentication threshold. 21.6 mm applies to later standard-diameter issues; 1839 and some 1840 broad-mill issues are about 22.5 mm. The stored diameter is representative, not universal across the entire date span.
Calculate this coin’s metal content
Formula: specified fine-metal troy ounces × quantity. Dollar melt value additionally requires an approved current metal price.
Obverse: identify the front
Liberty faces left with a coronet, a ring of stars and 1866 below. The portrait resembles other Liberty Head gold denominations. Read the reverse FIVE D. rather than identifying the denomination from the head alone.
Reverse: identify the back
The eagle carries a shield, arrows and a branch, with FIVE D. at the bottom. IN GOD WE TRUST appears above the eagle on this 1866 representative. Earlier no-motto issues lack that banner.
History and purpose
The Mint dates the Liberty Head half eagle’s introduction to 1839 and records the reverse motto change in 1866. Specialist references separate early broad-diameter pieces and later standard-diameter issues; the date and subtype remain relevant physical clues.
How to identify this variant
The stored 21.6 mm diameter describes the later form, including this 1866 example. The 1839 and some 1840 broad-mill issues are approximately 22.5 mm in the specialist reference. The same nominal mass/gold calculation applies, but the later diameter must not be imposed on those earlier coins.
Understanding its metal content
The historical standard is 129 grains gross at .900 fineness. Multiply 129 by .900 and divide by 480 grains per troy ounce: 0.241875 fine-gold troy oz. Gross metric mass is derived using 0.06479891 g per grain; the displayed 8.35905939 g is a conversion of the nominal standard, not an assay or the measured mass of a worn coin. The remaining 10% is alloy metal; historical legislation permitted copper or a copper/silver alloy.
Dates, varieties and composition changes
The series spans 1839–1908, with early portrait and diameter differences and the 1866 motto transition. Record the actual date and motto state. A broad date selector does not resolve a subtype or assert every mint-year combination.
Melt value versus collector value
Keep early broad-mill and unusual issue details separate in your notes. A design change or diameter difference is not, by itself, evidence of a counterfeit or a particular grade. Preserve original surfaces and grading information for review.
Authenticity and condition
Compare FIVE D., the portrait, eagle, date, edge and the diameter appropriate to that issue. A mismatch with the later 21.6 mm reference requires subtype review first. Avoid altering lettering or polishing a suspected early piece.
Selling this coin
Identify the lot as $5 Liberty Head half eagles and list dates and mint marks. For an early coin, include a coin-only diameter measurement if available and describe it as measured evidence. Do not mix quarter eagles into the same nominal-weight line.
Sources and calculation methodology
The historical Mint report and Coinage Act document nominal gold standards; NIST documents the unit conversions. The fine-weight override retains the result from grains instead of recalculating from a rounded catalog gram weight. Design and date references are separate from photographs. These calculations describe correctly identified genuine coins at standard weight. No approved live gold-price feed is configured, so dollar melt values remain unavailable. A collector assessment and a purchase offer are separate from metal content.
Common questions
Should every Liberty Head half eagle measure 21.6 mm?
No. The stored figure describes the later form. The specialist reference identifies 1839 and some 1840 broad-mill issues at about 22.5 mm; use issue-specific dimensions.
Does the reverse motto change its nominal gold weight?
No. The principal no-motto and motto forms share the historical $5 standard and nominal 0.241875 troy oz fine gold.
References
- U.S. Mint: Historical gold eagle designs — identity; dates Liberty Head half eagle introduced 1839; design Gobrecht; reverse motto added in 1866 (checked 2026-10-10)
- Historical Coinage Act of 1873, sections 13–14 — weight 129 grains; fineness .900; gold-alloy standard; historical reference, not current legal guidance (checked 2026-10-10)
Issue-year references
Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.
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