Modern Commemorative Five Dollar Gold (1984-Date)

The United States Mint returned to commemorative coins in 1982 with a George Washington half dollar, after a gap of almost three decades, and gold followed with a $10 eagle for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The five-dollar gold coin, the half eagle, joined the program with the Statue of Liberty centennial. Public Law 99-61 of July 9, 1985 allowed up to 500,000 gold coins of 8.359 grams, 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy, with a $35 surcharge on each for the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. The Mint first struck the coin at West Point on October 18, 1985 and continued into 1986.

From then on Congress authorized new $5 coins most years, usually alongside a silver dollar and a clad half dollar, for anniversaries, Olympic Games, institutions and people. The 1993 World War II coin carries the dates 1991-1995, and the 1995 and 1996 Atlanta Olympic programs each had two different $5 designs. In 1997 and 1999 the Franklin D. Roosevelt and George Washington programs were gold coins alone. There is no $5 coin for 1990, 1998, 2000, 2003-2005, 2009-2010 or 2023; in 2000 and 2003 the gold coin of the year was a $10 piece, and no commemoratives at all were authorized for 2023.

Some programs changed the coin itself. The 2006 San Francisco Old Mint coin was struck at San Francisco and copies the reverse of the 1906 Liberty Head half eagle. The 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame coin was the first curved $5 coin, followed by Apollo 11 in 2019 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, and the 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness coin was struck in pink gold. The 2026 FIFA World Cup coin was the only commemorative program of that year.

Each program begins as an act of Congress that names the subject, the coins, the maximum number of each and the organization that receives the surcharges. The Commemorative Coin Reform Act of 1996 limited the Mint to two programs a year from 1999 and capped each at 100,000 gold coins, and the later acts have mostly set the gold cap at 50,000 or 100,000. The surcharge built into the price, $35 on each gold coin in most programs, reaches the recipient only after the Mint has covered its costs and the organization has raised matching private funds.

The Mint sells each coin for a limited period set by its act, in two finishes: a proof with mirror fields and frosted designs, and an uncirculated coin. Both normally carry the W of the West Point Mint. Its published figures are sales, gathered on a "historical commemorative coin sales" page for each program, and they count coins sold singly, in sets and in special packaging together. Through 2021 the gold columns include the set coins; from 2022 the three-coin proof sets appear in a column of their own, so the proof total is the single coins plus the sets. Most programs sold far fewer gold coins than their caps allowed.

Reference books, Wikipedia and the grading services often give figures for the same coin that differ from the Mint's tables. Where two sources do not agree on a figure, the issue list below names each source's number.

Each program page lists its uncirculated and proof coins. Figures are the Mint's sales tables (uncirculated / proof) unless noted; W is West Point.

1986-1989

• 1986 Statue of Liberty: a close view of Liberty's head and crown, and an eagle in flight about to land, both by Elizabeth Jones. W; 95,248 uncirculated and 404,013 proofs.
• 1987 Constitution Bicentennial: Marcel Jovine's stylized eagle holding a quill, and a large quill with WE THE PEOPLE. W; 214,225 / 651,659. The Mint's row for the uncirculated coin reads 241,225, but its own gold subtotal of 865,884 and Wikipedia both give 214,225.
• 1988 Seoul Olympics: Nike wearing an olive wreath by Elizabeth Jones, and Marcel Jovine's Olympic flame below the U.S. Olympic logo. W; 62,913 / 281,465.
• 1989 Congress Bicentennial: the Capitol dome, and the eagle from the canopy of the Old Senate Chamber, both by John Mercanti. W; 46,899 / 164,690.

1991-1999

• 1991 Mount Rushmore: an eagle carrying a sculptor's mallet and chisel over the memorial by John Mercanti, and a lettered reverse by Robert Lamb. W; 31,959 / 111,991.
• 1992 Columbus Quincentenary: Columbus beside a map of the Americas by T. James Ferrell, and the Admiral of the Ocean Sea's crest by Thomas D. Rogers. W; 24,329 / 79,730.
• 1992 Barcelona Olympics: a sprinter before the flag by James C. Sharpe and T. James Ferrell, and an eagle with the Olympic rings, which NGC credits to James M. Peed. W; 27,732 / 77,313.
• 1993 Bill of Rights: James Madison by Scott R. Blazek, and a Madison quotation with an eagle, torch and laurel by Joseph D. Peña. W; 23,266 / 78,651.
• World War II 50th Anniversary, dated 1991-1995 and sold in 1993: a soldier raising his rifle by Charles J. Madsen, and a large V with its Morse code by Edward Southworth Fisher. W; 23,672 / 67,026.
• 1994 World Cup: the World Cup trophy by William J. Krawczewicz, and the World Cup USA 1994 logo by Dean McMullen. W; 22,447 / 89,614.
• 1995 Civil War Battlefields: a mounted bugler by Don Troiani, and an eagle with a LET US PROTECT AND PRESERVE banner by Alfred Maletsky. W; 12,735 / 55,246.
• 1995 Atlanta Olympics, Torch Runner and Stadium: a torch runner passing the Atlanta skyline by Frank Gasparro, and the Olympic stadium by Marcel Jovine, sharing Gasparro's reverse of an eagle with an 1896-1996 banner. W. The Mint's sales table gives 14,817 / 57,870 for the Torch Runner and 10,710 / 43,399 for the Stadium coin; Wikipedia and NGC give 14,675 / 57,442 and 10,579 / 43,124.
• 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Cauldron and Flag Bearer: a runner lighting the cauldron by Frank Gasparro, and an athlete carrying a flag ahead of a crowd by Patricia L. Verani, sharing Krawczewicz's reverse of the Atlanta Games mark in a laurel wreath. W. The Mint gives 9,453 / 38,871 for the Cauldron and 9,397 / 33,214 for the Flag Bearer; Wikipedia and NGC give 9,210 / 38,555 and 9,174 / 32,886.
• 1996 Smithsonian 150th Anniversary: James Smithson by Alfred Maletsky, and the Smithsonian sunburst by T. James Ferrell. W; 9,068 / 21,772.
• 1997 Franklin D. Roosevelt: Roosevelt in a boat cloak aboard the USS Houston by T. James Ferrell, and the presidential seal of his 1933 inaugural by James Peed. W; 11,894 / 29,474.
• 1997 Jackie Robinson: Robinson in later life by William C. Cousins, and a baseball reading LEGACY OF COURAGE by James M. Peed. W; 5,174 / 24,072.
• 1999 George Washington: a bust and a heraldic eagle by Laura Gardin Fraser, for the bicentennial of Washington's death. W; 22,511 / 41,693.

2001-2008

• 2001 Capitol Visitor Center: a Corinthian column, and the Capitol as it stood in 1800, both by Elizabeth Jones. W; 6,761 / 27,652.
• 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics: the Salt Lake 2002 crystal emblem, and the Olympic flame over a cauldron, both by Donna Weaver. W; 10,585 / 32,877.
• 2006 San Francisco Old Mint: the Old Mint building by Charles L. Vickers, and a copy of the 1906 Liberty Head half eagle reverse. Struck at San Francisco (S) in both finishes. The Mint gives 41,517 proofs, as does Wikipedia's list; for the uncirculated coin the Mint gives 16,149, Wikipedia's list 16,230 and NGC 17,500.
• 2007 Jamestown 400th Anniversary: Captain John Smith meeting an American Indian by John Mercanti, and the Jamestown Memorial Church by Susan Gamble. W; 18,843 / 47,050.
• 2008 Bald Eagle: young eagles on a branch by Susan Gamble, and the Great Seal by Don Everhart. W; 15,009 / 59,269.

2011-2018

• 2011 Medal of Honor: the original 1861 Navy Medal of Honor by Joseph Menna, and Minerva with a shield and the Union flag by Joel Iskowitz. Uncirculated at Philadelphia (P), proof at West Point; 8,233 / 17,999.
• 2011 U.S. Army: soldiers from five eras by Joel Iskowitz, and the Army emblem by Joseph Menna. P uncirculated, W proof; 8,052 / 17,148.
• 2012 Star-Spangled Banner: a War of 1812 sea battle by Donna Weaver, and O SAY CAN YOU SEE in Francis Scott Key's hand by Richard Masters. W; 7,006 / 18,299.
• 2013 5-Star Generals: Douglas MacArthur by Ronald D. Sanders, and the Leavenworth Lamp of the Command and General Staff College by Barbara Fox. P uncirculated, W proof; 5,667 / 15,834.
• 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame: a curved coin, a glove on the concave obverse by Cassie McFarland and a ball on the convex reverse by Don Everhart. W; 17,677 / 32,427.
• 2015 U.S. Marshals Service: the Marshals star before an Old West scene by Donna Weaver, and an eagle with a flag and a U.S. MARSHAL shield by Paul C. Balan. W; 6,743 uncirculated. For the proof the Mint gives 24,982, while Wikipedia, NGC and PCGS give 24,959.
• 2016 Mark Twain: Twain by Ben Sowards, and a paddlewheel steamboat by Ronald D. Sanders. W; 13,273 proofs. For the uncirculated coin the Mint gives 5,699 and Wikipedia 5,693.
• 2016 National Park Service: John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt before Half Dome, and the Park Service arrowhead, both by Don Everhart. W; 5,195 / 19,503.
• 2017 Boys Town: Father Edward Flanagan, and a hand holding a young oak, both by Donna Weaver. W; 7,377 proofs. For the uncirculated coin the Mint gives 2,939; a PCGS News article gave a preliminary 2,947.
• 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness: two women beneath a butterfly, and a tiger swallowtail, both by Emily Damstra, struck in pink gold. W; 4,477 / 10,381.

2019-2026

• 2019 Apollo 11: a curved coin with a bootprint on the Moon by Gary Cooper, and Buzz Aldrin's visor reflecting Armstrong, the flag and the lunar module by Phebe Hemphill. W; 12,035 uncirculated. The Mint's proof total is 34,036, counting 1,162 sold with an intaglio print.
• 2019 American Legion: the Eiffel Tower and a V for victory by Chris Costello, and an eagle below the Legion emblem by Paul C. Balan. W; 2,929 / 10,916.
• 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame: a curved coin, three players reaching for the ball by Justin Kunz, and a ball dropping through the net by Donna Weaver. W; 3,263 uncirculated. The Mint gives 8,075 proofs and Greysheet 8,070 (search).
• 2021 Law Enforcement Memorial: two officers saluting by Frank Morris, and a folded flag with three roses by Ronald D. Sanders. W. The Mint's table gives 1,754 uncirculated and 5,871 proofs, 4,397 of them in three-coin sets; Coin News's closing report gives 1,753 and 1,473 single proofs.
• 2022 Purple Heart Hall of Honor: the Purple Heart medal, and Washington's signature beneath the 1782 Badge of Military Merit, both by Donna Weaver. W; 1,690 uncirculated and 7,682 proofs: 2,784 sold singly (the Mint's table) and 4,898 in three-coin proof sets (Coin News, from the Mint's January 2023 figures; the Mint's page has no set row).
• 2022 Negro Leagues Baseball: Rube Foster by Laurie Musser, and a hand tipping a cap by Donna Weaver. W; 1,507 uncirculated and 5,357 proofs: 1,534 sold singly plus 3,823 in three-coin proof sets.
• 2024 Greatest Generation: part of the World War II Memorial's Wall of Stars by Heidi Wastweet, and a folded flag by Ben Sowards. W. The Mint's table gives 1,377 uncirculated and 6,250 proofs: 1,558 sold singly plus 4,692 in three-coin proof sets.
• 2024 Harriet Tubman: Tubman in her later years by Chris Costello, and two clasped arms by Ben Sowards. W. The Mint's table gives 1,290 uncirculated and 6,100 proofs: 1,658 sold singly plus 4,442 in three-coin proof sets.
• 2025 Marine Corps 250th Anniversary: both sides by Donna Weaver. W. Sales closed with 1,472 uncirculated and 9,433 proofs (2,093 sold singly plus 7,340 in three-coin proof sets), the Mint's figures in Coin News's October 2026 sales tables; on the last day of sales, December 26, 2025, Coin News had reported 1,319 and 9,246.
• 2026 FIFA World Cup: a soccer ball drawn as a globe turned to North America by Elana Hagler, and three hands lifting the trophy against stars and stripes by Beth Zaiken. W; up to 100,000 coins allowed, on sale from June 2026, so no final figures yet.

• Composition: 90% gold and 10% alloy, as the acts specify. The Mint's specification tables from 2019 give the alloy as 6% silver and the balance copper; the Wikipedia lists give 6% silver and 4% copper for every year, and several Wikipedia program articles give 3.6% silver and 6.4% copper for some of the early coins.
• 2018 Breast Cancer Awareness: pink gold of 85% gold, 14.8% copper and the balance zinc, 7.931 grams.
• Weight: 8.359 grams (NGC rounds to 8.36)
• Diameter: 0.850 inch, 21.59 mm (NGC gives 21.6 mm)
• Gold content: about 0.2419 troy ounce (NGC); 0.2168 ounce for the 2018 coin
• Edge: reeded
• Mints: West Point (W) for nearly every coin; San Francisco (S) for 2006; Philadelphia (P) for the uncirculated 2011 Medal of Honor, 2011 Army and 2013 5-Star Generals coins