The Congress of the United States sought to honor the five Five-Star Generals of the US Army, as part of a program to recognize America’s Military Heroes and to also honor the anniversary of the United States Army Command structure as well as the General Staff College. Congress authorized 3 distinct coins for this recognition honoring these men – a Clad Half Dollar coin, a Silver Dollar coin, and a Five Dollar Gold coin.
The clad half dollar coin would feature two World War II heroes – General Henry ‘Hap’ Arnold and General Omar Bradley. Arnold served as a General in the Army and later in the Air Forces and during World War II he commanded the Army Air Corps as it was then called.
Omar Bradley led US troops during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, then led our forces as the Allies marched across Europe towards Germany. After World War II, Bradley became the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The clad half dollar features portraits of Arnold and Bradley facing the viewer. On the upper periphery is the word “LIBERTY,” with the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST,” below it and the 5 five-pointed star arrangement between their portraits. Below their portraits are their names “HENRY ‘HAP’ ARNOLD,” and “OMAR N. BRADLEY.” The lower periphery bears the date of issue “2013.” This obverse was designed and sculpted by the US mint’s Phebe Hemphill.
The reverse depicts the heraldic crest of Fort Leavenworth with various inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and at the bottom of the reverse is the denomination “HALF DOLLAR.” This reverse was designed and sculpted again by Phebe Hemphill.
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 5-Star Generals Silver Dollar followed the clad half dollar in this series. This obverse of this coin featured portraits of Generals George C. Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower, both of whom were instrumental in helping America win World War II. Both generals’ portraits are facing left but looking towards the viewer. Both are in their uniforms and behind them is a striped background, with the 5 Star Insignia above and between them. The outer ring around the periphery contains “GEORGE C. MARSHALL * DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” “2013,” and “LIBERTY.” This obverse was designed by Richard Masters and sculpted by Joseph Menna.
The reverse of this commemorative silver dollar has, as its central image, the famed Leavenworth Lamp. Above it is “UNITED STATS OF AMERICA.” In front of the lamp is the denomination in two lines “ONE DOLLAR,” and behind it is “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” Beneath the lamp is “U. S. ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE.” The lower portion of the outer ring has “FORT LEAVENWORTH.” The reverse was designed by Barbara Fox and again sculpted by Joe Menna.
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 coins.
The final coin in this 3-coin set was a Five Dollar Gold commemorative coin. This obverse of this coin features a portrait of General Douglas MacArthur, facing right. MacArthur played a very prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He was instrumental in the fight in the Philippines. Designed by Ronald D. Sanders, and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso, in front of MacArthur’s face is the 5-Star Insignia with the date “2013,” below it as well as his name “DOUGLAS MACARTHUR.” To the right periphery is the word “LIBERTY,” and to the left periphery is the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
The reverse also features a version of the Leavenworth Lamp. The Lamp represents knowledge and learning, which is an appropriate symbol for the US Army Command and General Staff College. Beneath the lamp is the denomination “FIVE DOLLARS,” and to the right of the lamp is “E PLURIBUS UNUM.” The upper periphery has “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and the lower has “FORT LEAVENWORTH.” This reverse was designed by Barbara Fox and sculpted by Joe Menna.
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 had a miniscule mintage of only 5,667 coins while the proof version sold 15,843 pieces. The coins were sold individually. In addition, there was a 3-coin proof set including proof versions of the Clad Half Dollar, the Silver Dollar, and the Five Dollar Gold coins.
In addition, the Mint also offered a Profile Collection. In that set, the Mint included the Uncirculated Half Dollar, the Uncirculated Silver Dollar, and a replica of the 1962 Congressional Gold Medal awarded to General Douglas MacArthur. It included an easel and information on the profiles of each of the fiver generals so honored. This set was delivered ion special packaging and was limited to 50,000 units.
| Date | Mintmark | Type | Denomination | Mintage | Value |
| 2013 | D | Uncirculated | Half Dollar | 38,095 | $35 |
| 2013 | S | Proof | Half Dollar | 47,326 | $50 |
| 2013 | W | Uncirculated | Silver Dollar | 34,638 | $75 |
| 2013 | P | Proof | Silver Dollar | 69,283 | $80 |
| 2013 | P | Uncirculated | Five Dollar Gold | 5,667 | $550 |
| 2013 | W | Proof | Five Dollar Gold | 15,844 | $550 |
| 2013 | S-P-W | Proof | 3 Coin Proof Set | Included | $600 |
| 2013 | D-W | Uncirculated | Profile Collection | Included | $120 |
