1888 Liberty Head Half Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1888 Liberty Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Liberty Head Half Eagles 1839-1908 series — 50th of 70 years in the series. In 1888, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints with a combined mintage of 312,196. This ranks 32nd 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. Philadelphia and San Francisco continued regular half eagle production. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 21.65 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Struck one year before the 1889 key date, the lowest-mintage regular issue in the series. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.3K to $17K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $78K in MS65 grade at Stack's Bowers. 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(3)
1888 (S) Liberty Head Half Eagle
1888 Liberty Head Half Eagle
1888 Proof Liberty Head Half Eagle
Other Base Coins in This Series
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