1987 Proof Bicentenary of the Constitution - American Gold Commemorative $5

The Proof 1987 American Five Dollar Gold Coin celebrates the Bicentenary of the Constitution; 200 years since the founding fathers signed the US constitution into effect.

The coin's obverse side has a flying eagle holding a feather quill, while stating LIBERTY and the US motto of 'In God We Trust'. The date is also present on this side.

On the reverse is another quill, with the words WE THE PEOPLE etched over it. To the left is the date of the signing of the US constitution - September 17th, 1787 - and to the right is the latin motto E PLURIBUS UNUM or 'Out of many, one'. The top of the reverse reads 'United States of America' with 13 stars to indicate the 13 founding states, while the bottom of the coin reads 'Bicentennial of the Constitution'.

The day itself, 17th September 1987, was dubbed 'The Greatest American Picnic' and was a dawn-til-dusk entertainment extravaganza in Philadelphia (where the constitution was originally signed), with heavy national television coverage and a speech from President Reagan.