1857 Seated Liberty Half Dollar
Base
About This Coin
The 1857 Seated Liberty Half Dollar is a United States half dollar from the Seated Liberty Half Dollars 1839-1891 series — 19th of 53 years in the series. In 1857, coins were struck at the Philadelphia, New Orleans, and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of 3.0 million. This ranks 31st of 53 years by total mintage, above the series median of 2.1 million. 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, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Struck during the California Gold Rush era, when vast quantities of western gold transformed the American economy and led to new denominations. Weighing 12.4 grams, 30 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $83 to $17K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $91K in MS66 grade at Legend Rare Coin Auctions. Designed by Thomas Sully/Christian Gobrecht.
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.
