By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes ….
The 2016-W National Park Service Centennial $5 Proof gold coin honors the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS). Signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916, the National Park Service is a federal organization that oversees the operation and maintenance of many public parks throughout the United States. When An Act To Establish A National Park Service, also known as the Organic Act, was passed in 1916, the National Park Service oversaw 35 parks and landmarks, including Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is one of the nation’s oldest, having been declared a “public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people” by Congress in 1872 and placed “under exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior.”
Over the last one hundred years, the NPS has grown to incorporate more than 400 sites, deploy more than 20,000 employees and volunteers, and encompass some 84 million acres across all 50 states. The Park Service hosts millions of visitors each year and provides an array of educational programs for individuals of all ages. The significance of the NPS and its contributions to enriching the public warranted a series of commemorative coins celebrating the centennial of this beloved organization.
Congress passed the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service Act (Public Law 113-291 – PDF link) in the spring of 2014 and President Barack Obama signed it into law on December 19 of that year. The bill authorized the production of a commemorative half dollar, silver dollar, and $5 gold coin, with a total mintage of 100,000 $5 gold coins across all finishes. Ultimately, a mintage of only 19,506 $5 Proofs was reported by the United States Mint.
The Proof National Park Service Centennial half eagle is also offered (along with the Proof clad half dollar and silver dollar) in a three-coin Proof set.
How Much Is the 2016-W National Park Service Centennial $5 Gold Proof Worth?
Raw coins and examples graded up to PR69DCAM/UCAM trade for close to the intrinsic value of the coin’s gold content. On occasion, one finds a premium of about $50 for a well-photographed example. In PR70DCAM/UCAM, the 2016-W $5 Gold National Parks Commemorative Proof has an expected retail value of about $700.
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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens
Only five examples have been added to the Proof 70 census since February 2024.
Top Population: PCGS PR70DCAM (253, 9/2024), NGC PF67UCAM (540, 9/2024), and CAC N/A (0:0 stickered:graded, 9/2024).
- PCGS PR70DCAM #80691975: eBay, September 4, 2024 – $610. First Strike label..
- NGC PF70UCAM #4385134-175: eBay, July 29, 2024 – $695. Elizabeth Jones signature label.
- NGC PF70UCAM #6706321-010: eBay, July 13, 2024 – $775.
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Design
Obverse:
The National Park Service Centennial 2016 Gold $5 Half Eagle is anchored by a leftward-facing jugate bust of President Theodore Roosevelt and conservationist John Muir. Roosevelt was a staunch supporter of environmental protection and set aside more than 230 million acres of public lands during his presidency. Muir was a naturalist who was one of the earliest major advocates for the preservation of wilderness in the United States.
On the coin, both Roosevelt and Muir are seen looking upon Yosemite National Park’s iconic Half Dome formation, which rises majestically in the background. The word LIBERTY fills an area of field along the rim and above the portrait and Half Dome design elements. The date 2016 sits under the busts, with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST inscribed counterclockwise along the rim under the date.
Don Everhart designed and sculpted both the obverse and the reverse. His initials are found to the right of Roosevelt’s collar on the obverse.
Reverse:
The reverse of the $5 gold coin features the National Park Service logo hanging from a signpost with a sweeping panorama of a mountainside prairie in the background. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is inscribed along the right side of the reverse near the rim, while E PLURIBUS UNUM sprawls along the rim just to the left of the design. A numerical declaration of the denomination, $5, sits to the center right of the National Park Service logo, just above the W mintmark of the West Point Mint.
Coin engraver Don Everhart’s initials are behind the NPS sign, on the bottom of the central arc.
Edge:
The edge of the 2016-W National Park Service Centennial $5 gold coin, regardless of finish, is reeded.
Designer
Don Everhart joined the United States Mint sculpting and engraving department in 2004, after a long and successful career as a sculptor and designer of medals (View Designer’s Profile).
Coin Specifications
| Country: | United States of America |
| Year of Issue: | 2016 |
| Denomination: | $5 (USD) |
| Mintmark: | W (West Point) |
| Mintage: | 19,506 |
| Alloy: | .900 gold; .100 alloy |
| Weight: | 8.359 g |
| Diameter: | 21.59 mm (±0.08 mm) |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| OBV Designer: | Don Everhart |
| REV Designer: | Don Everhart |
| Quality: | Proof |
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