The U.S. Congress authorized a program to honor the Army’s five Five-Star Generals, recognize America’s military heroes, and mark the anniversaries of the Army command structure and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College with Five-Star Generals commemorative coins. Congress approved three coins for this recognition: a clad half dollar, a silver dollar, and a five-dollar gold coin released in 2013. View U.S. gold commemorative coins and U.S. silver commemorative coins to find your next addition to your collection.
The Clad Half Dollar
The clad half dollar features two World War II generals: Henry “Hap” Arnold and Omar Bradley. Arnold served as a general in the Army and later in the Air Forces; during World War II, he commanded the U.S. Army Air Forces.
Omar Bradley led U.S. troops during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, then led U.S. forces as the Allies advanced across Europe toward Germany. After World War II, Bradley became the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1949.
The clad half dollar shows portraits of Arnold and Bradley facing the viewer. Along the upper periphery appears “LIBERTY,” with “IN GOD WE TRUST” below and a five-star arrangement between the portraits. Beneath the portraits are the names “HENRY ‘HAP’ ARNOLD” and “OMAR N. BRADLEY.” The lower periphery bears the date “2013.” U.S. Mint artist Phebe Hemphill designed and sculpted the obverse.
The reverse depicts the heraldic crest of Fort Leavenworth surrounded by the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and the denomination “HALF DOLLAR” along the bottom. Phebe Hemphill also designed and sculpted the reverse.
The uncirculated version was struck at the Denver Mint, while a proof version was struck at the San Francisco Mint. Across both versions, Congress had authorized a maximum of 750,000 coins.
The Silver Dollar
The 5-Star Generals silver dollar’s obverse features portraits of Generals George C. Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower, both key leaders of the U.S. effort in World War II. The portraits face left, looking toward the viewer, set against a striped background, with the five-star insignia above and between them. The outer ring reads “GEORGE C. MARSHALL * DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “2013,” and “LIBERTY.” Richard Masters designed the obverse, and Joseph Menna sculpted it.
The reverse centers on the Leavenworth Lamp. Above the lamp is “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” In front of it appears the two-line denomination “ONE DOLLAR,” and behind it is “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” Beneath the lamp is “U.S. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE,” with “FORT LEAVENWORTH” along the lower rim. Barbara Fox designed the reverse, and Joe Menna sculpted it.
The West Point minting facility struck the uncirculated silver dollars, and the Philadelphia Mint struck the proof version. The maximum authorized mintage across both types was 500,000 coins. The uncirculated version sold 34,638 coins, while the proof version sold 69,283.
The Gold Coin
The final coin in the three-coin set is the five-dollar gold coin. Its obverse shows a portrait of General Douglas MacArthur facing right. MacArthur played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II, notably in the Philippines. Designed by Ronald D. Sanders and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso, the obverse places the five-star insignia before MacArthur’s face, with the date “2013” and his name “DOUGLAS MACARTHUR” below. “LIBERTY” appears along the right rim and “IN GOD WE TRUST” along the left.
The reverse again features the Leavenworth Lamp, a symbol of knowledge and learning for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Beneath the lamp is the denomination “FIVE DOLLARS,” with “E PLURIBUS UNUM” to the right. “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” rings the upper rim, and “FORT LEAVENWORTH” the lower. Again, Barbara Fox designed the reverse, and Joe Menna sculpted it.
The uncirculated version was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, while the proof version was struck at the West Point minting facility. The total authorized mintage of these Five Dollar Gold coins was 100,000 pieces across both finishes. The uncirculated version recorded a low mintage of 5,667 coins, while the proof version sold 15,843 pieces.
Sets and Collections
The coins were offered individually, and the Mint also released a three-coin proof set containing proofs of the clad half dollar, silver dollar, and five-dollar gold coin.
The Mint also offered a Profile Collection that included the uncirculated half dollar, the uncirculated silver dollar, a replica of the 1962 Congressional Gold Medal awarded to General Douglas MacArthur, and profile cards that contain photos and historic information. The set was delivered in special packaging and limited to 50,000 units.
