1887 Liberty Head Half Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1887 Liberty Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Liberty Head Half Eagles 1839-1908 series — 49th of 70 years in the series. In 1887, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of 1.9 million. This ranks 60th 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. Proof and regular strikes at Philadelphia; San Francisco struck half eagles for commerce. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 21.65 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Struck two years before the 1889 key date, the lowest-mintage regular issue in the series. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.3K to $80K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $100K in PR65 grade at Heritage Auctions. 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.
Specifications
Strike Types & Varieties(2)
1887 (S) Liberty Head Half Eagle
1887 Proof Liberty Head Half Eagle
Other Base Coins in This Series
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