Commemorative Gold Coins from the US Mint

Modern gold bullion buyers are accustomed to purchasing commemorative coins, but the history of US commemorative coinage is less diverse than modern options. The first-ever US commemorative coin struck is widely considered to have been issued in 1848. Since that time, the US Mint has occasionally offered varying commemorative coins in silver, copper, and gold. Modern commemorative gold coins from the US Mint date to 1986 and have been issued in honor of special anniversaries in the nation’s history or historical people of significance. Below you can learn more about US commemorative gold coins available from JM Bullion.

Initial US Commemorative Gold Coins

In 1982, the United States Mint resumed the striking of commemorative coinage after a long hiatus. The first coin issued as a silver $.50 (USD) coin with the image of George Washington on horseback on the obverse and his Mount Vernon estate with an eagle on the reverse. This coin was issued to commemorate the 250^th anniversary of Washington’s birth in 1732 and was the first commemorative coin from the US Mint since the post-World War II era in 1954.

The first US commemorative gold coin was a $10 (USD) coin issued in honor of the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. From that point onward, various $5 and $10 US commemorative gold coins were issued by the US Mint with designs such as:

• 1986 Liberty – This gold coin features a close up of the Statue of Liberty’s face on the obverse and an eagle in flight on the reverse.
• 1987 US Constitution – These $5 gold coins featured the image of an eagle holding a quill pen on the obverse with the words “We the People” from the opening of the United States Constitution on the reverse.
• 1991 Mount Rushmore Anniversary – Issued to commemorate the anniversary of Mount Rushmore’s carving, this $5 coin depicts a powerful American bald eagle flying over Mount Rushmore with the reverse bearing the words “Mount Rushmore National Memorial.”
• 1995 Civil War Battlefields – The $5 gold coin issued in this wider series depicts a Civil War bugler riding on horseback with a bald eagle on the reverse.
• 1997 Jackie Robinson – Part of a wider issue by the mint to honor the man who broke baseball’s racial color barrier, the Jackie Robinson $5 gold coin featured a portrait of the legendary ballplayer on the obverse and the inscription “Legacy of Courage” on the reverse.
• 2007 Jamestown Coin – The first European settlement to sustain itself on the North American continent was Jamestown, and the $5 2007 Jamestown Coin marks the 400^th anniversary in that year of the settlement’s founding. The obverse depicts Capt. John Smith of England greeting an American Indian with a bag of corn, while the reverse renders the image of the Jamestown Memorial Church. That church is the only remaining original structure in Jamestown.

US commemorative gold coins, including these designs mentioned above, are available from JM Bullion. We carry $5 and $10 US Commemorative Gold Bullion coins in random lots. This means you’ll receive coins based upon availability in our warehouse when your order is purchased. We cannot reserve any designs or date marks, and may ship multiples of the same design and year when you purchase multiples.

2016 Commemorative Gold Coins – A Special Release

One of the most impressive US commemorative gold coin issues of the modern era occurred in 2016. On the 100^th anniversary of some of the nation’s greatest circulation coin designs, the US Mint reissued these iconic designs to mark a century since the US Mint undertook one of its greatest redesign initiatives in the nation’s long history. The 2016 US Commemorative Gold Coins revived three important designs from 1916 and released all coins with limited mintage figures, commemorative boxes, Certificate of Authenticity, and 24-karat gold. Information on each of these releases includes:

• 2016 1/10 oz American Gold Mercury Dime: Introduced in 1916 on the US dime, the Winged Liberty design was created by Adolph A. Weinman for the US Mint. The image on the obverse featured Lady Liberty in left-profile relief with a winged cap and the inscriptions of “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” “AW” for Weinman’s initials, and a year of issue. The reverse depicts a Roman fasces representing strength and unity wrapped in an olive branch to reflect peace. The 24-karat commemorative gold coin had a date mark of 2016 and all the same engravings of the original dimes. Known as Mercury Dimes, many people though Liberty’s winged cap made her resemble the Roman messenger god Mercury. The original US dime was in circulation from 1916 to 1945.
• 2016 1/4 oz American Gold Standing Liberty Quarter: Also issued in 1916, the Standing Liberty Quarter was designed by Hermon Atkins MacNeil. His design featured Liberty standing in the gap between two walls facing east with a shield in her left hand. Her right hand held an olive branch. The design by MacNeil was meant as a symbolic message to the nations fighting World War I in Europe at the time, with Liberty facing east bearing the shield as a sign that America was ready to defend itself if needed, but the olive branch denoting its preference for peace. The reverse of the coins includes an eagle in flight. The original US quarter was available from 1916 to 1930.
• 2016 1/2 oz American Gold Walking Liberty Half Dollar: Another 1916 coin designed by Adolph A. Weinman, this image of Walking Liberty is arguably the second-greatest design in American history behind only Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ 1907 image of Liberty. It featured Liberty walking toward the sun on the horizon in a constant pursuit of a brighter future. The reverse included the image of an American bald eagle at rest with wings spread on a cliff edge as it clutches a small sapling’s branch. The Walking Liberty Half Dollar was in circulation from 1916 to 1947.

Each of the 2016 US Commemorative Gold Coins for sale was originally available from the US Mint with the designs covered above. The US Mint issued these commemorative coins in weights reflective of the relative size of the circulation coins as outlined above. Each commemorative coin featured 24-karat gold and a nominal face value based upon the original circulation coin, even though the true value of the gold content is much higher.

Original issues of the 2016 US Commemorative Gold coins included individual US Mint boxes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Various specimens are also available with certifications from the Professional Coin Grading Service or Numismatic Guaranty Corporation.

American Liberty Gold Coins

In 2017, the United States Mint released a collection of American Liberty Gold Coins to mark the 225^th anniversary of the mint’s founding in 1792. The US Mint, has over the course of American history, created various images of Liberty for use on the nation’s coinage. Throughout the course of time, these designs have often focused on Greek and Roman-inspired images of Liberty. With the introduction of the American Liberty Gold Series, the US Mint sought to use depictions of Liberty that are more reflective of the diverse cultural background of the country.

2017 American Liberty Gold Coins depicted Liberty as a woman with African-American characteristics. The new 2019 American Liberty Gold Coins feature Liberty in left-profile relief with a new depiction of her crown. Rather than a traditional crown, the one in this design is formed by the rays of the sun emanating from behind her head as her hair flows freely in the breeze.

American Liberty Gold Coins are available in protective plastic capsules with presentation boxes from the US Mint and a Certificate of Authenticity. Produced by the West Point Mint, these coins have a “W” mint mark on the obverse.

Following the popular release of the new, modern image of Liberty in the 2017 American Liberty release, the United States Mint introduced a 1/10 oz gold version of the same design in 2018. In 2019, the US Mint introduced another new image for the American Liberty Series. Once again re-envisioning what Liberty looks like, the new 2019 American Liberty design featured a beautiful, modern visual of Liberty with free-flowing hair. The left-profile bust abandoned a traditional crown in favor of a crown formed by radiant rays of sunshine from behind her head. The design was struck in high-relief and given an enhanced finish, with alternating applications of polish to create distinctive visual appeal.

History of US Commemorative Coinage

In 1848, the United States Mint issued a $2.50 (USD) gold piece that is largely considered to be the first-ever US commemorative coin. Stamped with the word “CAL,” the coin was meant to mark the discovery of gold in California that led to the nation’s largest gold rush in its history and helped opened up the West Coast of the United States for settlement. While this coin is considered the first, many lists of US commemorative gold coins from the US start with an 1892 half-dollar coin issued by the US Mint to honor the 400^th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. One year later, the mint issued the Columbian Exposition quarter-dollar coin with the image of Queen Isabelle of Spain, the monarch responsible for funding Columbus’ voyage to the New World.

Throughout the first five decades of the 20^th century, the US Mint would issue various commemorative coins including, but not limited to, coins such as the 19126 Sesquicentennial half dollar with a bust of George Washington on the obverse and Calvin Coolidge on the reverse (the only living person featured on a US coin during his lifetime) and the 1926 Sesquicentennial quarter with Lady Liberty on the obverse and Independence Hall on the reverse.

Purchasing US Commemorative Gold Coins from JM Bullion

If you have any further questions about the gold for sale in this category, please don’t hesitate to contact JM Bullion. Our customer service team is available to you at 800-276-6508, online using our live chat, and via our email address.