Franklin Roosevelt – 1997

A Commemorative to Honor the Longest Serving President

The 1997 Franklin Roosevelt $5.00 Gold Commemorative coin has the distinction of being the only modern commemorative program that didn’t commemorate an anniversary. Additionally, it was only issued as a $5.00 Gold Commemorative Coin. The coin does honor Franklin Roosevelt who was the longest-serving US President having been elected to four consecutive terms as President. Roosevelt helped the country survive the Great Depression and World War II. Among his greatest legislative achievements are Social Security and the social safety nets that his administration put in place to protect workers and to bring electricity to rural communities.

Congress approved legislation that authorized up to 100,000 $5.00 Gold commemorative coins. The obverse of the coin, designed by T. James Ferrell depicts a half figure of a seated Roosevelt facing right, which was based on a famous photograph of the President reviewing the US Naval fleet in San Francisco Bay. The upper periphery has “FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT” with the date “1997” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” to the right. Below his right arm is the word “LIBERTY”.

The reverse of the coin displays the Presidential Seal from his inauguration in 1933 for his first term as President. It differs quite significantly from the current Presidential Seal. The eagle has upraised wings and is prominently standing. There are 13 five-pointed stars above the eagle and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” above the stars. The eagle is surrounded by a circle of 5-pointed stars and the date of his first inauguration “1933” is at the bottom of the circle. The upper periphery has “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” while on the lower periphery is the denomination “FIVE DOLLARS”. The reverse was designed by James Peed and modeled at the US Mint by Thomas D. Rogers, Sr.

Both the Uncirculated and Proof versions were struck at the West Point Mint. The Uncirculated version had sales of 11,894 coins while the Proof version sold 29,474 pieces. The coins were sold individually and as part of a 2-coin set. The price included a $35 surcharge that benefitted the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission.  The commission used the proceeds to create an appropriate memorial to Roosevelt in Washington, DC.

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