United States 1912 5 dollars
This specimen was lot 1762 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €950 (about US$1,323 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ÉTATS-UNIS, AV 5 dollars, 1912. Très Beau à Superbe. (United States gold five dollars of 1912. Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
This type was issued from Philadelphia (shown here), Denver, New Orleans and San Francisco 1908-16 and 1929. Its depiction of an Indian chief, along with the matching 2½ dollars, has long made it popular with collectors. There is, however, little evidence that it circulated much at the time, currency already being preferred. The United States exited the gold standard in 1933, the last major nation to do so, and the coin has not circulated since. This date is common.
Recorded mintage: 790,000.
Specification: 8.359 g, 0.900 fine gold, 21.6 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Bela Lyon Pratt.
Catalog reference: Fr-148, KM 129.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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