American Liberty Coins

The legacy of the American Liberty coins begin with the birth of U.S. coinage: And like much of history, accounts can vary. Possibly the most reliable version of the story begins with the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. His proposal for a mint and coinage system in 1791 planned for both a gold and silver dollar coin. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin also contributed research and input toward these early coins.

Until the introduction of a U.S. currency, trades were made for goods such as tobacco, or with foreign coins. When Washington tossed his legendary silver dollar across the Potamac, dollars didn’t exist. (More likely the coin was a Spanish 8 Reales.)

Hamilton’s plans for new U.S. coinage included a profile of President George Washington. For his part, Washington thought putting his image on a coin was something more befitting a monarchy than a republic. Instead, an allegorical image of Liberty was chosen. Plans included a $1 Dollar coin to be produced in gold and silver but congress only authorized the Silver Dollar.

The first Liberty coins struck in 1793 and were not to be gold or silver but copper. The use of precious metals was delayed because of a failure to secure the necessary $10,000 performance bonds. (Imagine the difficulties of funding a country without a currency.) It’d be two more years before the first gold coins were produced but no gold dollars until 1831. At the time, they were produced by a private mint in North Carolina.

Other features of the American Liberty coins:

Minted between 1849 and 1907, the coins were produced in three slight variations across the five mints operating at the time: Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Orleans, Carson City, and Denver
The illustrious $20 Liberty Gold coin is one of the top three selling Pre-Modern gold coins collected today along with Saint Gaudens coin and the Peace Dollar.
The coin’s obverse was designed by the 4^th Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint from 1844-1869, James Barton Longacre; under Longacre’s direction the Mint was infamous for its number of blunders including coins with double dates, superimposed horizontal numbers – Longacre was known to have conflicts with his staff and work was often done without his consult
The obverse image of Liberty was inspired by the ancient Greco-Roman sculpture Crouching Venus; the coin depicts a left-facing Lady Liberty wearing a pearl-studded diadem inscribed with the word LIBERTY
The reverse is modeled after the Great Seal of the U.S. featuring a heraldic eagle with a striped shield on its breast and 13 stars resting above representing the original colonies

Due to the wide range of sizes and years minted of the American Gold Liberty, many of these pieces have seen excellent appreciation in the long run as well as recent years.

To learn more about the American Liberty Coins and see how it would be able to fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us here and an experienced Mint State Gold representative will be happy to see how we can assist you.

Liberty Coins Specifications

Metal(s) Produced	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold	Gold
Purity	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper	90% Gold and 10% Copper
Year(s) Minted	1849-1907	1838-1907	1839-1908	1840-1907	1849-1889
Where Minted	Philadelphia/ Carson City/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Carson City/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Carson City/ New Orleans/ Denver/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Charlotee/ Dahlonega, New Orleans/ San Francisco	Philadelphia/ Charlotte/ Dahlonego, New Orleans/ San Francisco
Composition	0.9675oz AGW and 0.1075oz Copper	0.48375 AGW and 0.053 Copper	0.2419 AGW and 0.027 Copper	0.1209 AGW and 0.013 Copper	0.0483 AGW and 0.0055 Copper
Total Weight	1.075 troy oz	0.537 troy oz	0.269 troy oz	0.134 troy oz	0.0538 troy oz
Denomination	$20	$10	$5	$2.50	$1
Thickness	2.41 mm	2.03 mm	1.59 mm	1.27 mm	0.76 mm
Diameter	34 mm	27 mm	21.6 mm	18 mm	13 mm
Strike Type(s)	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof	Business/ Proof