Half Eagle Golds Coins
64Half Eagle gold coins got their name because the $10 Liberty Head gold coins in circulation had no denomination markings prompting people to call them "eagles" because of the eagle stamped on the reverse side of the coin.
This naturally led people to call the five dollar gold piece a "half eagle" and through the years this naming convention spread to other gold coins with the $20 gold piece being called a "double eagle" and the $2.50 dollar gold piece which was known as a "quarter eagle".
The half eagles were extremely popular with people and have the distinct honor of being the only coin to be minted at all 7 US Mint branches over the years.
Probably the most beautiful version of the half eagle is the Liberty Head which features a crowned Lady Liberty on the front (obverse) side and a spectacular eagle on the back (reverse) side.
Modern day versions of this eagle design can be found on the back of the Kennedy Half Dollar which unfortunately never really made its way into circulation like the Franklin Half Dollar most likely due to people saving the coins as collector's items.
The alloy mixture of the half eagle as well as the weight and size of the coin changed several times over the years because the price of gold kept rising making the coins worth more than their face value prompting enterprising individuals to melt them and sell them as gold ingots.
While not technically illegal (the US Mint only mentions that the law prohibits the altering of a coin for fraudulent purposes) the government nevertheless did not like the fact that people were profiting from this activity and had to change the coin so much that eventually there was no silver in the coin at all.
Those interested in purchasing gold half eagle coins should note that these are not considered bullion coins where the value of the coin is pegged to the price of gold. Rather, these are considered collectible coins and as such prices can be quite high depending on the rarity of the coin as well as the condition it is in.
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Intresting stuff a lot of people would not know that gold half eagle coins are not considered bullion coins
the mint has not produced gold coins for the purpose of circulation since 1933. The mint hasn't produced silver coins for the pupose of cirulation since 1964. All of the gold and silver we have today is proof, comemerative, and bullion, none of which is made for circulation.
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mws44 3 years ago
This is a very interesting hubpage article. I wonder how if the US Mint still produces these type of coins.