In 1838, the United States Mint sought to redesign the circulating $2.50, $5, and $10 gold pieces. Although the $2.50 and $5 denominations had been produced with some degree of regularity in the 1830s featuring the Classic Head design, a $10 gold coin had not been minted since the Draped Bust type of 1804. Chief Engraver Christian Gobrecht created a new, uniform design for these three denominations— a distinctly neoclassical motif inspired by the portrait of Venus in the famous 1809 painting Omnia Vincit Amor (Love Conquers All) by Benjamin West. The resulting Liberty Head or “Coronet Head” gold coins featured a depiction of Miss Liberty on the obverse with her hair secured in a bun by a string of beads and wearing a coronet inscribed with LIBERTY. Thirteen stars encircle the rim and the date appears below. The tasteful simplicity of this Greco-Roman profile was reminiscent of many artistic renderings found in prominent European museums at the time. The reverse of the coins depicts a heraldic eagle with a shield on its chest. In the talons of the great bird are olive branches and arrows— symbolic of a peaceful nation but one that is poised for war. This reverse design was not remarkably different from earlier gold coins, though the eagle’s wingspan was widened to better fill the fields. The $5 Liberty Head gold pieces debuted in 1839 and were minted through 1908. These coins bear the distinction of being the only coin of a single design to be minted at seven U.S. Mints: Philadelphia, Dahlonega, Charlotte, New Orleans, San Francisco, Carson City, and Denver. Although these coins underwent a few minor design modifications over the decades, the basic design prevailed for over 70 years.
