Seated Liberty Half Dollars 1839-1891

The Seated Liberty half dollar first appeared in 1839. It was the fourth denomination to get the design, and nearly two million were struck that first year. Christian Gobrecht engraved it from a drawing by the painter Thomas Sully. The first 1839 coins lack the fold of drapery under Liberty's left elbow and show a large bunched gown to the left of her shield. Both were changed within the year.

Two changes to the coin's weight produced the series' major types. Large gold finds in California and Australia drove down the price of gold against silver. Silver coins became worth more as metal than at face value, so they were hoarded or shipped abroad to be melted. In 1853 Congress cut the weight of the fractional silver coins by about 7% and kept the .900 fineness. The Mint marked the new, lighter coins with arrowheads beside the date, and on the quarter and half it added rays around the eagle. The rays were dropped in 1854 and the arrows in 1856. In 1866 the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, first used on the 1864 two-cent piece, was added on a ribbon above the eagle. On April 1, 1873, the half was made very slightly heavier at 12.5 grams, an even metric figure, and arrows went back beside the date for 1873 and 1874.

Four mints struck the series. New Orleans struck halves through 1861, when the mint passed from federal hands to the State of Louisiana and then to the Confederacy, and it never struck a half with the motto. San Francisco struck halves from 1855 to 1878 and Carson City from 1870 to 1878. After 1878 only Philadelphia struck them. From 1879 through 1890, mintages were kept small and the coins went mostly to collectors and buyers of souvenirs and gifts.

Obverse. Liberty sits with her right hand resting on a shield inscribed LIBERTY and her left holding a pole topped by a liberty cap. Stars ring the border, and the date is below.

Reverse. A heraldic eagle, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA above it and HALF DOL. below.

Mint mark. On the reverse, beneath the eagle and just above HALF DOL. The 1840 Medium Letters coin is the exception: it was struck at New Orleans with a leftover reverse die from the Capped Bust half, which carried its mint mark on the obverse, so it has none.

Telling the types apart. Check the date for arrowheads, then the reverse for rays and the motto ribbon:

In 1873 both the No Arrows and Arrows coins exist, at the old and new weights.

• 1878-S: 12,000 struck, with about 60 believed to survive. It is the key date. Genuine coins have 147 edge reeds, which helps expose added mint marks.
• 1870-CC: 54,617 struck in Carson City's first year. Most survivors are heavily worn.
• 1874-CC: 59,000 struck.
• 1878-CC: 62,000 struck. Only one die pair is known.
• 1853-O No Arrows: struck at the old weight before the 1853 change. Only four are known, all worn.
• 1866-S No Motto: 60,000 struck from leftover dies before the motto reverses reached San Francisco.
• 1873-CC No Arrows: 122,500 struck.
• 1855-S: 129,950 struck, San Francisco's first halves.
• 1842-O Small Date: 203,000 reported, though some may have been dated 1841.
• 1873 No Arrows, Open 3: nearly all were melted after the April weight change. Rare in any grade.
• 1839 No Drapery: the one-year first design.
• 1840 Medium Letters: the New Orleans coin with no mint mark, described above.
• Overdates and doubled dates: 1847/6, 1855/854, and the 1844-O Doubled Date, whose extra date sits high enough to run into Liberty's gown.
• 1861-O CSA Obverse: struck under Confederate control. It is identified by a die crack running from Liberty's nose to the rim.

• Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper throughout
• Weight and silver content:
  • 1839 to early 1853, without arrows: 13.36 g, holding 0.3866 troy oz of silver
  • 1853 (with arrows) to March 1873: 12.44 g, holding 0.3599 troy oz
  • April 1873 to 1891: 12.5 g, holding 0.3617 troy oz
• Diameter: 30.6 mm
• Edge: reeded. The number of reeds varies with the collar used, which specialists use to authenticate CC and S coins.