1885 Liberty Head Half Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1885 Liberty Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Liberty Head Half Eagles 1839-1908 series — 47th of 70 years in the series. In 1885, coins were struck at the San Francisco and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 1.8 million. This ranks 59th of 70 years by total mintage, above 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. The 1885 Philadelphia issue is relatively common; San Francisco production was strong. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 21.65 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Produced 4 years before the celebrated 1889 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.3K to $20K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $35K in PR65 grade at Bowers & Merena. Designed by 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.
