Medal of Honor Commemorative Half Eagle

The Medal of Honor Commemorative Half Eagle is a United States five-dollar gold coin issued in 2011 to mark the 150th anniversary of the nation's highest military decoration for valor. The obverse displays the pendant of the Medal of Honor, a five-pointed star suspended from a hanging chain and neck ribbon, set above a Corinthian column. The reverse shows two soldiers in a combat stance.

Struck as a modern commemorative rather than a circulating coin, it is a small gold piece with a face value of five dollars but an intrinsic and collector value far above that. It was sold directly to the public by the US Mint in both proof and uncirculated finishes.

Congress authorized a two-coin Medal of Honor commemorative program for 2011 to honor the 150th anniversary of the medal, first established during the Civil War in 1861-1862. The program paired a silver dollar with this gold half eagle, and surcharges from sales were directed to the Medal of Honor Foundation to support its work with recipients and education about the award.

The gold coin was struck at the West Point Mint, which carries the W mint mark used on modern US gold commemoratives. Like other modern commemoratives, it was produced only during its year of issue and in limited numbers, after which the dies were retired. The obverse depicts the Army version of the Medal of Honor, one of three service designs of the decoration.

The defining feature is the obverse: the Medal of Honor pendant, a five-pointed star hanging from a chain and ribbon bar, positioned above a fluted Corinthian column. Legends such as UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, and the 2011 date appear around the design. The reverse, showing two soldiers in an active combat pose, carries E PLURIBUS UNUM, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the FIVE DOLLARS denomination.

This is a physically small coin: the US commemorative half eagle standard is 90% gold, about 21.6 mm in diameter and roughly 8.36 grams, containing about a quarter troy ounce of pure gold. Look for the W mint mark of the West Point Mint. Its rich yellow-gold color, small size, and the distinctive star-and-column obverse separate it from larger bullion pieces and from the companion silver dollar of the same program.

As a modern gold commemorative, this coin's value rests first on its gold content: it holds roughly a quarter ounce of pure gold, so it trades at a meaningful premium tied to the current gold price regardless of collector demand. Both proof and uncirculated versions were sold by the Mint at issue prices above melt.

Mintages for the 2011 Medal of Honor gold half eagle were low compared with older classic coins, which supports collector premiums, and pristine or professionally graded examples in original Mint packaging tend to bring the strongest prices. Because gold prices move daily, consult a current bullion quote and a recent price guide or reputable dealer for an accurate figure rather than relying on face value.