1991 Mount Rushmore Golden Anniversary Commemorative Five Dollar Gold
Base
About This Coin
The 1991 Mount Rushmore Golden Anniversary Commemorative Five Dollar Gold is a United States commemorative dollar. The gold coin in the 1991 Mount Rushmore program, this $5 piece uniquely references the sculpting process with its eagle-carrying-tools obverse. Gutzon Borglum and his team spent 14 years carving the memorial into the granite mountain. The obverse features a bald eagle in flight carrying sculpting tools — a mallet and chisel — with a small depiction of Mount Rushmore in the background, while the reverse displays a calligraphic inscription reading 'Mount Rushmore National Memorial' in four lines, the first U.S. coin reverse composed entirely of lettering. Designed by John M. Mercanti/Robert Lamb. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 21.6 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. The Mount Rushmore $5 gold is notable for two firsts: the inventive eagle-with-tools concept and the all-text reverse — a departure from the figurative designs typical of U.S. coinage.
