$2.5 Liberty Head

The $2.5 Liberty Head is one of only four $2.5 pieces ever produced by the U.S. Mint. This piece replaced the $2.5 Classic Head which had been in circulation since 1834. This piece is 1 of 4 pieces in the “Liberty Head” series along with the Gold Half Eagle – $5, the Gold Eagle – $10 and the Gold Double Eagle – $20.

• Obverse: Lady Liberty with Coronet
• Reverse: Eagle with outstretched wings
• Years: 1840-1907
• Mints: D, C, S, O and P
• Designer: Christian Gobrecht

History

In 1840, the $2.5 Classic Head was changed to the Liberty Head in order to match the new design of the $5 and $10 Liberty Heads which had already been circulating since 1939 and 1938 respectively.

The U.S. Chief Engraver, Christian Gobrecht, was the man who designed the $2.5, $5, $10 and $20 Liberty Head coins. This specific piece, the $2.5 Liberty Head, is the longest continuously minted coin without a major change in American history. The only change that is seen between the first year and last year of issue is the increased size of the date on the obverse of the coin.

In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt believed the current American gold coins did not rival the beauty of other countries’ gold coins. Therefore in 1907, Roosevelt made the minting of new gold coins for the nation one of his top priorities and commissioned Augustus Saint-Gaudens to produce new Indian Head pieces which effectively ended the Liberty Head series.

Due to the long minting lifespan of the $2.5 Liberty Head, it’s a very difficult task to complete an entire date and mint mark set. Some of the most valuable date and mint mark combinations are the 1840-O, 1842-C, 1856-S and the most expensive being the 1848.

 

At Atlas we have access to a wide range of $2.5 Liberty Heads with a variety of dates and mint marks.