Object Details
- mint
- U.S. Mint, Philadelphia
- designer
- Reich, John
- Description (Brief)
- One (1) 5 dollar coin
- United States, 1815
- Obverse Image: Left-facing Liberty head with flowing hair wearing cap, 13 stars along coin edge.
- Obverse Text: LIBERTY / 1815
- Reverse Image: Eagle with wings outstretched clutching branch and arrows in talons, shield over chest with vertical stripes on bottom part and horizontal stripes on top part, ribbon over eagle's head.
- Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / E PLURIBUS UNUM / 5 D.
- Description
- For reasons unknown, designer John Reich's earlier bust of Liberty was abandoned in favor of a crude, almost ugly head. Reich seems to have been responsible for the coins struck with the new design from 1813 to 1815. Then Robert Scot made a trite design worse by coarsening Liberty's hair and retouching her cap. Thus amended, the Reich/Scot half eagles remained in production through 1829.
- Most were melted, as the gold they contained eventually became worth more than their face value. The 1815 half eagle started out rare (only 635 minted) and became rarer as the coins were melted down. Perhaps a dozen remain including this one.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Estate of Josiah K. Lilly
- 1815
- ID Number
- NU.68.159.0183
- accession number
- 283645
- catalog number
- 68.159.0183
- Object Name
- coin
- Physical Description
- gold (overall metal)
- 0 (overall die axis)
- 0 (overall die axis measurement)
- struck (overall production method)
- Measurements
- overall: 25.2 mm; in
- place of issue
- United States
- Related Publication
- Glossary of Coins and Currency Terms
- Related Web Publication
- http://americanhistory.si.edu/coins/glossary.cfm
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
- Coins, Currency and Medals
- Josiah K. Lilly Jr. Collection
- National Museum of American History
- Record ID
- nmah_1076255
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-d1c8-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
