If there’s one thing we can say about the 2015 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin, it’s that it has ushered in a new era of modern coin design for the U.S. Mint. Where the 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin fulfilled the classic coin design vision of the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the 2015 coin designed by two United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program artists showcases the contemporary and modern side of numismatic design and the modern collector.
The obverse or “heads” side of the coin depicts Lady Liberty holding the torch in her right hand and the American flag in her left, while surrounded by the words LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the designer’s initials JK. The obverse side was designed by Justin Kunz and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.
The reverse or “tails” side of the coin depicts an eagle in flight clutching a branch with its talons, surrounded by the text UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, 1 OZ. .9999 FINE GOLD, ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, a W for West Point’s mint mark, and the artist’s initials PCB. This side was designed by Paul Balin and sculpted by Don Everhart. The 2015 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin wasn’t the first coin that considered Balin’s design. The eagle clutching the branch was presented earlier as a choice for this year’s 2015 $5 U.S. Marshals 225th Anniversary Gold Coin and later for the new American Silver Eagle reverse.
Many collectors were anxiously waiting for the release of the 2015 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin back in July of this year. With a $100 face value, these coins are one of the world’s purest gold coins, consisting of one troy ounce of .9999 fine 24-karat gold. On the first day of sale, buyers snatched over 36,000 of the available 50,000 coins at a price of $1,490 per coin, but sales have dropped since the Mint announced that the coins are on back order.
The modern 2015 High Relief gold coin is certainly turning heads, and it would be prized piece for any collections. For more on coins and industry news, visit our online blog and knowledge center.
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A poor attempt to revisit the sucess of the ’09 UHR,which in my opinion is the most beautiful coin ever made.The 09 also comes with the highest quality mohogany display case I have ever seen included with any coin. But if you choose the slabbed/graded version of the 09 you rarely get the case.All 09s have appreciated considerably, something unlikely with the ’15. Can you say “ooogly 15”!.
Go for the 09 with case, your least expensive option. You might get lucky and recieve one worthy of the PL grade ! There were no intentional proofs made of the 09, its all about the lack of flaws and a perfect shine due to the mint having just cleaned or replaced their dies. Thats why they are refered to as “proof like” or just PL. Might be worth the $150 or so to have it graded as I did. Trust PCGS only.
In the description of the obverse & reverse, you neglected to mention that in addition to the designers’ initials, the sculptors’ initials are also included on the coin. On the obverse, you can find a “PH” in the lower-most stripe of the flag at the far right edge of the coin. On the reverse, you can find a “DE” at the immediate right of the branch. Not trying to be nit-picky, just adding my observation. Personally, I question why there needs to be designer initials on coins in the first place. All they do is add clutter and ruin a coin’s look/appeal for no good reason. Their commision checks should have been all the honor they needed. 🙂
When I logged onto the Mint’s website yesterday afternoon (12/9) it said the new coins were unavailable. I signed up for the “Notify Me” list. Early this morning I received a notice that they’re available again. Hard to believe that after selling 36,000+ (out of 50,000 max) on the first day, they can still be had in mid-December. So unless you’re dead set on obtaining a “First Strike” MS-70 graded coin, head over to the Mint’s website while the opportunity exists.
Such a subpar design on such a high purity gold. Go back to the drawing board.
This truly an obnoxious, ugly design. None for me!
What a great design! .9999 makes it really special. Not a flawless design though. I would have made the year smaller, and the JK above GOD is mildly insulting.
I agree with you. The JK just above God seems out of place and very degrading to our God. Very poor placement of all the initials.