1997 American Eagle Five Dollar Gold

About This Coin

The 1997 American Eagle Five Dollar Gold is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the American Eagle Five Dollar Gold 1986 to Date series — 12th of 41 years in the series. In 1997, coins were struck at the West Point and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 563,492. This ranks 27th of 38 years by total mintage, above 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 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 3.39 grams, 16.5 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $5.1K to $8.6K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $920 in MS70 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Augustus Saint Gaudens/Miley Busiek.