Half eagle

1822 Capped Head half eagle, a $5 gold piece from the Philadelphia Mint. The Mint reported 17,796 of these, a figure that may not be accurate, yet just three are known today, and only one of those can ever be privately owned. The likely reason is that gold coins of the period were worth more than face value, so holders sold them to brokers and many were exported and destroyed. The Smithsonian holds the other two; this is one of them. On the obverse, Liberty wears a cap inscribed LIBERTY inside a ring of stars, and the reverse eagle carries a shield and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll above.