1840 Liberty Head Half Eagle

About This Coin

The 1840 Liberty Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Liberty Head Half Eagles 1839-1908 series — the second year of the series. In 1840, coins were struck at the Charlotte, New Orleans, Dahlonega, and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 242,289. This ranks 28th of 70 years by total mintage, below the series median of 360,195. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet 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. Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans all struck half eagles alongside Philadelphia in the design's second year. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 22.5 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.4K to $67K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $120K in MS64+ grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.