1990 American Eagle Five Dollar Gold
Base
About This Coin
The 1990 American Eagle Five Dollar Gold is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the American Eagle Five Dollar Gold 1986 to Date series — an early issue, 5th of 41 years in the series. In 1990, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 309,559. This ranks 15th of 38 years by total mintage, below the series median of 351,182. The obverse features Liberty striding forward holding a torch and olive branch, with rays of sunlight behind her — widely considered the most beautiful U.S. coin design — adapted from the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle and the reverse displays a family of eagles — an adult and two juveniles — in a nest, designed by Miley Busiek (1986-2020) or an eagle portrait by Jennie Norris, the redesigned reverse introduced in 2021 (2021+). Struck after the transition from silver to clad coinage, as the Mint adapted to modern production methods and record-breaking mintages. Struck in 91.67% gold, 3% silver, 5.33% copper, weighing 3.39 grams, 16.5 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $2.8K to $5.1K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $4.2K in PR70DC grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Augustus Saint Gaudens/Miley Busiek.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
