The 2008 $5 Gold Eagle Coin Commemorates The Spirit Of Freedom That Makes America Great!
Who doesn’t recognize the bald eagle as the powerful symbol for democracy? At the Second Continental Congress in 1782, our Founding Fathers wisely chose the bald eagle, which is unique to North America, for the Great Seal of the United States. From that moment on, this regal bird became the national symbol of our American values of courage, strength and freedom. The bald eagle also appears on the seals of many departments and branches of our United States government. Then the unthinkable happened, the bald eagle was threatened with the possibility of extinction, in the lower 48 states and was classified as an endangered species in 1973. Through a number of successful recovery efforts, the bald eagle was able to be removed from the Endangered Species List in 2007. However, they are not out of the woods yet and will need to be monitored for many years.
In recognition of the importance of the eagle as our national symbol, to honor the 35th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and to celebrate the bald eagle’s return from extinction, Congress unanimously passed The American Bald Eagle Recovery and National Emblem Commemorative Coin Act. Thus the stunning 2008 $5 gold eagle coin was created. The obverse of the bald gold eagle coin was designed by Susan Gamble, who is a Master Designer of the Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) and sculpted by the United States Mint Medallic Sculptor, Phebe Hemphill. The design features two young eaglets, one with its wings spread, perched on a branch, within their natural habitat.
The sculptor for the reverse of this spectacular gold eagle coin was Don Everhart, the United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver. On the reverse is the illustration of the current Great Seal of the United States, as it was engraved in 1903. This awe-inspiring coin was limited to a maximum authorized mintage of only 100,000, which makes it difficult to find. The $5 gold eagle coin is struck in .900 fine gold, with a diameter of 21.59mm and an exemplary grade of MS70. This remarkable 2008 $5 Gold Bald Eagle commemorative coin, whose vibrant, amazing design represents how the eagle is thoroughly ingrained in every aspect of our nation’s commerce and culture and government and would make a wonderful historic addition to any collection!
The Magnificent 1943 Mexico Fifty Pesos…One Of The World’s Rare Mexican Gold Coins!
The Mexico 50 Pesos (also known as the Centenario, Gold 50 Peso, 50 peso gold coin and Mexican 50 pesos gold coin) was one of the few, large world bullion coins, prior to the introduction of the Krugerrand in 1967. The 50 Pesos coin was first produced in 1921 to commemorate the Centennial of Mexico’s Independence from Spain, which was achieved under General Agustin de Iturbide. The minting of the impressive 50 Pesos gold coin was suspended after 1931, resuming in 1943 and continuing through 1947. Twenty percent larger than the 1-ounce American Gold Eagle, these beautiful Mexican gold coins are composed of 90% fine gold alloyed with 10% copper for durability.
On the obverse of these striking 50 Pesos Mexican gold coins, is the portrait of the stunning Winged Victory, or El Angel, standing in front of two legendary Mexican volcanoes, Iztacchuatl (the sleeping lady or white lady) and Popocateptl (the smoking mountain). In Aztec legend, the volcanoes represent two lovers, a warrior and a princess, who both died of grief pining for each other and were turned into volcanoes. Held in the captivating angel’s left hand is a broken chain, symbolizing freedom and a laurel wreath, symbolizing victory, in her right hand.
On the right side of these gorgeous Mexican gold coins is the date of issue, which is below the gold content “37.5 Gr. ORO PORO”. The left side of the coin bears the date “1821”, representing the year Mexico gained independence and above it is the face value “50 PESOS”. The 1943 50 Pesos rare gold coin has one design difference. The gold content, instead of only appearing at the right of Winged Victory, appears on both sides and the denomination is omitted. Some believe that this is an error, while others feel this difference is due to the uncertainty of the currency and for bullion purposes. This is the only year with this particular design change and to further make this graded MS65, 1943 gold coin unique, rare and scarce; it has a mintage of only 89,000 coins!
The reverse side of the 50 Pesos gold coin features the Golden Eagle, Aquila Chrysaetos, perched majestically on a cactus, with a snake in its beak, which is Mexico’s national emblem. There is another account of Aztec lore, concerning locating the eagle as pictured on the coin and the settlement of what is now Mexico City, home of Casa de Moneda, where these coins were minted. The legend “ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS” is in an arc above the eagle. Mexican coins have been elevated to the “hot”, must-have items with gold investors and collectors and the 50 Pesos gold coin is the most coveted of all. What a prize of the rare Mexican gold coins that are available on the market today, this spectacular and exquisitely designed 1943 Mexico 50 Pesos gold coin would be to your collection!
The Case Of The Deaf Mute & The “Racketeer” Nickel
Extremely Scarce and Hard To Find – The Extraordinary 1883 24-Karat Gold Plated “Racketeer” Nickel
Doing research for other gold coins, I stumbled across a story about a 24 karat gold plated coin. I found it so interesting that I wanted to share it here. I know that it isn't a real gold coin, but please bear with me and hopefully enjoy this story.
The year is 1883 and one that will go down in the numismatic hall of fame. It was the last year for the Shield Nickel and the first year for the Liberty Head “V” Nickel. This particular nickel had two varieties. The first Liberty Head nickels that were minted had, on the obverse, Lady Liberty and the year. The reverse had “E Pluribus Unum” and “United States of America”, along with a large, Roman “V”, surrounded by a wreath. At the time, the Liberty Head five dollar gold coin was being minted as well, whose obverse bore a resemblance to the Liberty Head nickel. Both had a portrait of Lady Liberty, with her hair pulled back, and wearing a tiara with the word “Liberty” imprinted on it. The year of issue was below her image, with thirteen stars surrounding her.
If you put the nickel and the five dollar gold coin side by side, you can clearly see the differences in Lady Liberty’s hairstyle and tiara. However, there were big differences on the reverse, with the nickel having the large “V” in the middle and the five dollar gold coin having an eagle holding olive branches, arrows and the shield. Plus, the five dollar coin had a reeded edge. Finally, the diameter of both coins was very similar. The five dollar gold coin has a diameter of 21.65 millimeters and the Liberty nickel’s diameter is 21.2 millimeters.
The Impressive Gold Vienna Philharmonic Coins Are Music To Your Collection!
The phenomenal gold Vienna Philharmonic coins were first minted in 1989 at the Austrian Mint in Vienna and are the only legal tender gold coins produced in a large scale in Europe. It is also the only gold bullion coin denominated in euros that is issued on a regular basis. The Austrian Mint is world renowned for the production of superior and avant-garde gold coins for more than eight hundred years, making it one of the oldest minting institutions in the world continuously in production. It is said that the Austrian Mint indirectly owes it’s beginnings to Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lionheart.
The Vienna Philharmonic coin’s design, by Thomas Pesendorfer, is a tribute to the jewel of Austria’s culture, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, whose members are chosen from the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. To be able to play with the Philharmonic is not a simple process. The musician would have to devote a minimum of three years, playing for the Opera and Ballet to prove his/her skill. Only then can the musician ask the Board of the Wiener Philharmoniker to consider an application for a seat in the Vienna Philharmonic. On the obverse, or “heads” side of this striking coin, is pictured a collection of some of the instruments that produce the orchestra’s glorious music: a bassoon, a harp, a cello, a Viennese horn and four violins. On the arc of the coin, above the instruments, are the words, “Wiener Philharmoniker”, meaning Vienna Philharmonic.
Meticulous In Detail With Stunning Eye Appeal—Unique Quarter Eagle Coins
One of the most sought after coins, which a collector would love to add to his or her collection, is the rare Quarter Eagle. These exquisite coins, which are of the highest value, were minted in the 1800’s. The rarity of these eagle quarters was realized as early as the 1920’s by collectors. The most valuable one is the Liberty Gold Eagle, which was minted from 1816 through 1857, featuring a new design by Christian Gobrecht. His composition of Miss Liberty’s head became the most widely accepted and long-lasting of all coinage designs of the nineteenth century. This particular coin has, on the obverse, the inspiring image of Lady Liberty, facing to the left, with “Liberty” inscribed on her crown. She also has thirteen stars surrounding her. The reverse has the American bald eagle, with a shield on its chest and an olive branch and arrows clutched in its talons.
Another one of the hard-to-find quarter eagles, which are highly coveted, is the proof 1878 Quarter Eagle. This proof was actually part of only three other proofs that had a minting of less than twenty in total. Many of the gold proofs that were minted only had a run of about one hundred total, during the entire history of the eagle quarters. During the 1800’s to the early 1900’s, proofs were struck in gold for the sole purpose of collectors. The 1878 Quarter Eagle is one of the most uncommon quarter eagles that can still be found. It is reported that there are maybe only a handful of these quarters still in existence. There are two of these rare quarters that have been impounded and stored. One is at the Smithsonian and the other is at the American Numismatists Society. It has been reported, that in recent years, there have been only a few show up on the auction market, which have turned quite a bit of profit for the person who was selling them.
The reason that the unique quarter eagles are so sought after is the fact that they were struck with such a high gold content. These particular eagles were put into production by an act of Congress in 1792, as a derivation of the ten dollar eagle. Since there were very few of these quarters struck prior to 1832, it adds to their rarity. It was initially valued at $2.50, but is worth so much more in today’s terms. Some of these difficult-to-locate quarter eagles have been known to sell for in upwards of millions of dollars, depending on the overall grade of the coin. There are many variations of these quarter eagles. Some of these are the Liberty Head, the Capped Head and the Indian Head quarters. You would be very hard pressed to find any serious collector who wouldn’t want to add one of these quarters to his or her collection. Part of the reason it is so hard to find one of these rare quarters, is the fact that the life expectancy of proof gold was only half of its original mintage. During the entire history of the quarter eagle, there were only two that were also associated with commemorative coins. These were the 1915-S Panama-Pacific Exposition Quarter Eagle and the 1926 Independence Sesquicentennial Quarter Eagle. Whether for fun or for profit, collecting these bullion coins is an investment in the history of our great nation.
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