The 1986 Statue of Liberty $5 Gold Coin was issued in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. The program received an enthusiastic public response, resulting in a complete sell out of the maximum authorized mintage for the gold coins.
The obverse design features a close view of the face and crown of the statue of Liberty. Inscriptions include the date “1986″ above and the word “Liberty” to the left of the image. On the reverse is a depiction of a bald eagle in flight. Around the outer circumference of the coin are inscriptions “United States of America” and the denomination “Five Dollars” interrupted by groups of six and seven stars. An inner circumferential arrangement includes additional inscriptions “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust”. The designs for the coin were by Elizabeth Jones, the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, with part of the initial modeling for the reverse credited to Philip Fowler.
The coins were available in either proof or uncirculated versions, both struck at the West Point Mint. The coins were sold individually or as part of complete sets. The Three Coin Set, either uncirculated or proof, included the half dollar, silver dollar, and $5 gold coins. The Six Coin Set included both uncirculated and proof versions of each coin.
Prior to the start of sales, some voiced expectations that the gold coins would achieve a sell out of the maximum mintage. This proved correct as the US Mint received orders for all 500,000 coins before the close of the pre-issue discount period. In later promotional materials for the silver dollar and half dollar, the US Mint highlighted the quick sell out of the gold coin.
Prices for the Statue of Liberty $5 Gold Coins rose following the sell out, most notably for the lower mintage uncirculated version of the coin, which rose from the initial price of $165 to around $750. The premium ultimately dissipated as subsequent commemorative gold coins experienced significantly lower mintage levels. For present day collectors, the coins are available at prices based predominantly on the gold content of 0.242 troy ounces.
Coin Specifications
Designer: Elizabeth Jones
Weight: 8.3590 g
Composition: 90% gold (0.242 ounces of gold)
Diameter: 21.6 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 500,000
1986-W Uncirculated Statue of Liberty $5 Gold
Pre-Issue Price: $160.00
Regular Price: $165.00
Final Mintage: 95,248
1986-W Proof Statue of Liberty $5 Gold
Pre-Issue Price: $170.00
Regular Price: $175.00
Final Mintage: 404,013
Other 1986 Statue of Liberty Commemorative Coins
1986 Statue of Liberty Half Dollar
1986 Statue of Liberty Silver Dollar
The commemorative program of “United States Liberty Coins” was the most successful to date, with more than 7 million silver dollars and 7 million half dollars sold, and a complete sell out of the maximum mintage established for the gold coins. The $78 million in surcharges raised from the program was used to fund the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and the celebration of its centennial.
Designed by John Mercanti, the obverse of the silver dollar features a view of the Statue of Liberty with the main building of Ellis Island in the background. The inscriptions include “Liberty”, “Ellis Island”, “Gateway to America”, “In God We Trust”, and the date.
The reverse of the coin was designed by John Mercanti with assistance from Matthew Peloso. The statue’s hand with a lit torch are depicted with the concluding words of Emma Lazarus’s poem The New Colossus. These words are engraved on a bronze plaque mounted inside the statue. The reverse inscriptions include “United States of America”, the famous words “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free”, the motto “E Pluribus Unum”, and the denomination “One Dollar”.
The Statue of Liberty Silver Dollar was struck in proof at the San Francisco Mint and in uncirculated at the Philadelphia Mint. The coins had a maximum authorized mintage of 10 million, and eventually sold more than 70% of that amount. The silver dollar was sold individually or as part of a two, three, or six coin set. The coins could initially be purchased at a discounted “pre-issue” price before regular pricing went into effect.
Coin Specifications
Designer: John Mercanti (obverse), John Mercanti and Matthew Peloso (reverse)
Weight: 26.7300 g
Composition: 90% Silver (0.7736 ounces of silver)
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 10,000,000
1986-P Uncirculated Statue of Liberty Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $20.50
Regular Price: $22.00
Final Mintage: 723,635
1986-S Proof Statue of Liberty Silver Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $22.50
Regular Price: $24.00
Final Mintage: 6,414,638
Other 1986 Statue of Liberty Commemorative Coins
1986 Statue of Liberty Half Dollar
1986 Statue of Liberty $5 Gold
The obverse of the coin depicts a ship of immigrants entering New York Harbor. The skyline is circa 1913, with an image of the Statue of Liberty in the foreground and a rising sun in the background. The inscriptions include “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, and the date “1986″. The obverse was designed by Edgar Z. Steever IV.
The reverse of the coin features a family of immigrants witnessing a view of America from a pier or wharf at Ellis Island. The inscriptions read “United States of America”, “A Nation of Immigrants”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and the denomination “Half Dollar”. The reverse was designed by Sherl Joseph Winter.
The half dollar was struck in proof and uncirculated versions with the former struck at San Francisco and the later struck at Denver. The half dollar coins were sold individually or incorporated into Two Coin Sets, including the silver dollar, Three Coin Sets, including the silver dollar and $5 gold coin, or Six Coin Set, which included proof and uncirculated versions of each coin.
Since the coins did not contain precious metals content, the pricing was the lowest for the program at $5 or $6.50 for uncirculated and proof versions during a “pre-issue” period. The regular pricing was $6 or $7.50. The total mintage exceeded 7 million pieces.
Coin Specifications
Designer: Edgar Z. Steever IV (obverse), Sheryl Winter (reverse)
Weight: 11.3400 g
Composition: 91.67% copper, 8.33% nickel
Diameter: 30.61 mm
Maximum Authorized Mintage: 25,000,000
1986-D Uncirculated Statue of Liberty Half Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $5.00
Regular Price: $6.00
Final Mintage: 928,008
1986-S Proof Statue of Liberty Half Dollar
Pre-Issue Price: $6.50
Regular Price: $7.50
Final Mintage: 6,925,627
Other 1986 Statue of Liberty Commemorative Coins
1986 Statue of Liberty Silver Dollar
1986 Statue of Liberty $5 Gold Coin
