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1842 Seated Liberty Half Dollar - Small Date, Rev 1839

Strike Type

Coin Details

Year

1842

Denomination

Half Dollar

Mint Mark

Strike Type

Regular Strike

Series

Seated Liberty Half Dollars 1839-1891

Designer

Thomas Sully/Christian Gobrecht

Mintage (whole issue)

2,012,764

Composition

90% Silver, 10% Copper

Weight

13.36g

Diameter

30mm

Edge

Reeded

Value Estimates

$105 - $4,695

Values as of May 2026, from published price guides and, in some cases, recorded auction sales. For most coins the range runs from a well-worn example (around G-4) to an uncirculated one, but individual coins can sell for more or less depending on grade, eye appeal and demand. Compare recent sales of similar coins for a closer estimate.

Auction Record

Price realized: $99,875
Sold: 23 June 2014
Grade: MS64
Auction house: Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1842 Seated Liberty Half Dollar - Small Date, Rev 1839 was struck at the Philadelphia Mint as a half dollar in the Seated Liberty Half Dollars 1839-1891 series. The U.S. Mint's 1842 total of 2.0 million counts every Philadelphia half dollar of the year together; the Small Date, Reverse of 1839 coins are an unrecorded fraction of it. The obverse features Liberty seated on a rock, holding a pole surmounted by a Phrygian liberty cap in her left hand and a shield inscribed LIBERTY in her right and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons. Minted during the age of Jacksonian democracy and the rise of the common man, as new branch mints opened in Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans. Philadelphia's mint — the nation's first — has produced coins without interruption since its founding in 1792. Estimated market value ranges from $105 to $4.7K depending on grade and condition. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 13.36 grams, 30.6 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #6241.