Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle - San Francisco Mint Rarity
In 1839, several coins were due for an update, including the Coronet, or Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle. Mint engraver Christian Gobrecht was a true disciple of the Neoclassicism art form. The reason for his ardent belief? Modern clothing fashions changed too often, and it would open up a wave of criticism to portray historically important figures wearing contemporary clothes. Like most renowned engravers, Gobrecht fixed his subjects in Classical Greco-Roman clothing and copied the stylized busts of known works by those ancient sculptors. Additionally, the rigorous art of die engraving is especially well suited to Neoclassical cold profiles.
