5 Dollars Star Spangled Banner

Reverse

The theme "The Star-Spangled Banner" (the song). It depicts the first words of the Star-Spangled Banner anthem, O say can you see, in Francis Scott Key's handwriting against a backdrop of 15 stars and 15 stripes, representing the Star-Spangled Banner flag.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
E PLURIBUS UNUM
FIVE DOLLARS

Translation: Out of many, one.

Engraver: Joseph Menna

Designer: Richard Masters

Edge

Reeded

Comment

On September 7, 1814, Francis Scott Key visited the British fleet in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of his friend Dr. William Beanes. The elderly physician had been taken prisoner when the British invaded Washington, setting fire to several government buildings, including the U.S. Capitol, White House and Treasury Department.

Beanes’ release was secured, but he and Key were held by the British during the shelling of Fort McHenry, the principal fort defending Baltimore. On the morning of September 14, 1814, after the 25-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry, Key peered through the clearing smoke to see a 42-foot by 30-foot American flag flying proudly over it.

He was so inspired by the sight of the enormous flag that he wrote a verse he named “The Defence of Fort McHenry” to commemorate the occasion. He also included a note that it should be sung to the tune of the popular British melody “To Anacreon in Heaven.” Within a month, the words had been published in papers along the eastern seaboard. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that the anthem, which had been popularly renamed the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” be played at military and naval ceremonies. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a resolution passed by Congress that officially designated “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the U.S. National Anthem.

Interesting fact

Price

Date	Mintage	VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
2012 W	18299	-	-	-	-	-	-

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 5 Dollars (Star Spangled Banner) 2012 coin.