MELT VALUES / GOLD
$5 Gold Half Eagle (–1929)
Melt value now SNAPSHOT
$1,114
222.9× face value
Designer
Bela Lyon Pratt (Indian, 1908); Christian Gobrecht (Liberty, 1839)
Years struck
1795–1929
Mints
The only US denomination struck at ALL eight historical mints — including Carson City, Charlotte, Dahlonega and New Orleans
First gold coin struck by the United States (1795).
THE STORY
The half eagle is the workhorse of pre-1933 US gold: 134 years, every mint, every gold rush. Its 0.2419 ozt of gold now melts around $1,100 — but the 1933 confiscation-and-melt destroyed so much of the later mintages that collectible premiums often dwarf melt. If you inherit one, never sell it at melt without checking the date.
Charlotte and Dahlonega existed solely to coin southern gold-rush metal — their C and D mint marks turn a bullion coin into a four-figure artifact.
KEY DATES WORTH REAL MONEY
Check these before treating any gold piece as melt.
| 1909-O Indian | 34,200 — last New Orleans gold, the Indian key |
| 1929 | 662k minted, nearly all melted in 1933-34 — a mintage that lies about its rarity |
Think you have one? Check recent auction records before selling — and read our grading basics first.
SPECIFICATIONS
Grading: where wear shows first
Same incuse-design grading challenge as the quarter eagle - cheekbone and eagle's shoulder.
Never clean a coin. Ever. Cleaning permanently destroys collector value — dark original toning is worth more than shiny damage.
Counterfeit check
Widely counterfeited, including deceptive middle-eastern strikes from the mid-1900s. 8.359 g on the scale; certification for anything beyond bullion value.
Gear that settles it: an electromagnetic verifier, a calibrated scale and calipers — counterfeit basics.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ACTUALLY ASK
What is a $5 gold coin worth today?
Melt is ~$1,114 (0.2419 ozt at $4,607 gold). Collectible dates - branch mints, the 1909-O, the deceptive 1929 - are worth multiples. Date and mint mark first, always.
Coin image: Wikimedia Commons — Public domain — US Mint (coin), National Numismatic Collection (photograph by Jaclyn Nash).
