1834 Classic Head Half Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1834 Classic Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Classic Head Half Eagles 1834-1838 series — the first year of the series. In 1834, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 1.3 million. This represents the highest annual mintage in the entire series, above the series median of 371,534. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a fillet or headband inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM without the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. First year of the Classic Head design with reduced gold weight. Plain 4 and Crosslet 4 varieties exist. High production as older heavy coins were retired. Struck in 89.9% gold, 10.1% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 22.5 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $3.1K to $63K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $127K in MS66 grade at Stack's. Designed by William Kneass.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
