Liberty has appeared on more United States coins than one cares to count, but you’ve never seen Liberty as she will be portrayed on the most significant coin to be released by the United States Mint in recent history. 2017 marks the 225th anniversary of the founding of the United States Mint, and the mint is celebrating with a brand-new 24-karat gold coin featuring Liberty as she has not been portrayed to date on an American coin.
On Thursday, January 12th the US Mint unveiled the design of its upcoming 2017 American Liberty Gold Coin. Featuring designs from Mint Artistic Infusion Program designers and Mint Sculptor-Engravers, the all-new 2017 American Liberty Gold Coin will be a must-have for any gold coin enthusiast.
A US Mint First
The United States Mint struck its first-ever 24-karat gold coin in 2006 when it released the American Gold Buffalo coin, but it has never featured a design of Liberty quite like you’ll see on the obverse of the 2017 American Liberty Gold Coin. The United States Mint unveiled its new Liberty design that depicts Liberty as an African-American woman.
Created by Mint Artistic Infusion Program Designer Justin Kunz and sculpted by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill, Liberty features in a left-profile relief portrait as a woman with African-American features rather than a white woman. Instead of the traditional use of a wreath of laurels for her crown, this Liberty wears the crown of stars found on the Statue of Freedom atop the dome of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington DC.
The crown of stars is large and bold on Liberty’s head, and represents the traditional ideals of liberty while simultaneously hinting at a hopeful future full of possibility. Engravings on this face of the coin include dual dates of “1792” to the left of Liberty and “2017” to the right. Above her head you’ll see “Liberty” engraved, while the national motto “In God We Trust” appears below. The initials of the coin’s designer and sculptor appear on this face as well in the form of “JK” and “PH.”
On the reverse of the coin is the powerful image of an American bald eagle flight. This may be one of the most detailed and intricate designs of an eagle to feature on American coinage, with every facet of the bird’s feathers visible and it sharp eyes keenly watching the horizon as it flies through the coin’s design field. The reverse field has its own set of creators, with Mint Artistic Infusion Program designer Chris T. Costello creating the image and Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso bringing it to life.
The eagle is surrounded by numerous engravings, which include “United States of America” and “E Pluribus Unum” above. Below is the face value of “100 Dollars,” with “1 oz .9999 Fine Gold” and the “W” mint mark of the West Point Mint to the left of the eagle. Costello and Gaudioso have their initials engraved as well as “CTC” and “MG.”
Two more intriguing facets of the 2017 American Liberty Gold Coin are the high-relief striking and the use of edge lettering for just the second time in US Mint history. The first use of edge lettering was on the 2016 American Silver Eagle Proof coin to celebrate its 30th anniversary, and now the US Mint uses it again to engrave “225th Anniversary” on the coin’s edge, with one star on either side of the edge lettering.
Additionally, these 24-karat gold coins are struck in high-relief by the West Point Mint. Each coin has a deep concave surface on the reverse and obverse, giving a distinctive look and additional beauty.
First in a Series Celebrating Liberty
The 2017 American Liberty Gold Coin is the first in a series of .9999 pure 24-karat gold coins that will be released by the United States Mint in the years to come. Each one will feature a new depiction of Liberty paying homage to the phrase engraved on the reverse, “E Pluribus Unum.” Translated, this phrase means “out of many, one,” and refers to the history of America’s formation as a safe haven for those fleeing persecution around the world in search of freedom.
This depiction of Liberty as an African-American woman is the first, with those to follow later depicting contemporary forms of Liberty as an Asian-American, Hispanic-American, and Indian-American. The coins are due out from the United States Mint on April 6, 2017, but there is no known information yet regarding the mintage levels.
Statement from the Mint on the Occasion
During the debut event for the 2017 American Liberty Gold Coin, Principal Deputy Director of the United States Mint, Rhett Jeppson, stated that:
“We are very proud of the fact that the United States Mint is rooted in the Constitution. Our founding fathers realized the critical need for our fledgling nation to have a respected monetary system, and over the last 225 years, the Mint has never failed in its mission.”
With passage of the Coinage Act of 1792, the United States Mint was formed to produce circulation coinage for the newly-formed United States of America. The US Mint has come a long way from the days of using horse, oxen, and men to power its coining presses. As of 2015, the United States Mint has the capacity to produce as many as 28 billion coins annually.
The modern United States Mint consists of four primary coining facilities: San Francisco Mint, Denver Mint, Philadelphia Mint, and West Point Mint. The gold depository is considered a part of the US Mint system, as is the Mint’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Former US Mint facilities include branch locations in Carson City, Nevada, Charlotte, North Carolina, Dahlonega, Georgia, New Orleans, Louisiana, Washington DC, and Manila, Philippines.
Keep Up to Date with JM Bullion
Collectors will be eagerly anticipating the release of the stunning new 2017 American Liberty Gold Coin come April, and JM Bullion will provide further updates as details become available. In the meantime, stay up-to-date on coin releases by following the JM Bullion blog, visiting our Facebook page for daily updates and information, or using our new JM Bullion app available on Google Play or the App Store now.
