1905 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1905 Liberty Head half eagles were struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco (S) mints, which struck about 1.2 million $5 gold coins that year. Generally speaking, the 1905 Liberty Head half eagles are considered common coinage from the relative standpoint of the total number of pre-1933 U.S. gold coins available. Even still, all pre-1933 U.S. gold coins are scarce, and currently represent a tiny fraction of the original output.

Here’s a breakdown of the mintages and values of 1905 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1905, 302,200 minted; $787

• 1905-S, 880,700; $787

• 1905 proof, 108; $12,500

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine 20 unless otherwise stated.

1905 Liberty Head half eagles, which contain 0.24187 ounces of pure gold, are often purchased as bullion coins because of the gold content. However, it should be noted that all pre-1933 U.S. gold coinage is considered numismatically collectible due to its overall scarceness. The price premium over spot is still much higher with coins like Liberty Head half eagles than for bullion coins.

These classic gold coins were designed by Christian Gobrecht. He served as the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint and also designed the Seated Liberty silver coins of the 19th century.