INDEX
A Liberty Seated Half Dollar contains 0.3867 troy oz of silver for the No arrows (1839–1853), 0.3600 troy oz of silver for the Arrows / reduced weight (1853–1873), and 0.3617 troy oz of silver for the Post-1873 standard (1873–1891).
Spot price as of July 23, 2026
About This Series
Christian Gobrecht's Liberty Seated half dollar was the standard 50-cent coin for over 50 years, from 1839 to 1891. The series went through several changes: arrows were added in 1853 to mark a weight reduction, "In God We Trust" appeared above the eagle in 1866, and arrows returned in 1873-74 for another weight change. The 1853-O No Arrows variety is one of the most valuable coins in the series. Collectors also hunt the 1878-S and the late Carson City issues. Most Philadelphia dates are affordable in circulated grades, but branch-mint examples in nice condition take time and patience to find.
Specifications
No arrows, 1839–1853
- Composition
- 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Fineness
- 90.0%
- Weight
- 13.37 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
- ASW
- 0.3867 oz
- Years Produced
- 1839–1891
ASW and melt value by era
| Era | Years | Weight | Fineness | ASW | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No arrows | 1839–1853 | 13.37 g | 90.0% | 0.3867 oz | $23.10 |
| Arrows / reduced weight | 1853–1873 | 12.44 g | 90.0% | 0.3600 oz | $21.51 |
| Post-1873 standard | 1873–1891 | 12.50 g | 90.0% | 0.3617 oz | $21.61 |
Mintage by year and mint
“Low mintage” marks a year at or below 10% of the median business-strike mintage for its own denomination; “Scarce for the series” marks one above 10% and at or below 25%. The median here is 744,900. That is a statement about how many were struck, not about how many survive or what collectors pay.
Low mintage years in this series: 1870 Carson City (54,617), 1874 Carson City (59,000), 1878 Carson City (62,000), 1878 San Francisco (12,000), 1881 Philadelphia (10,000), 1882 Philadelphia (4,400), 1883 Philadelphia (8,000), 1885 Philadelphia (5,200), 1886 Philadelphia (5,000), 1887 Philadelphia (5,000), 1888 Philadelphia (12,001), 1889 Philadelphia (12,000), 1890 Philadelphia (12,000).
Show all 107 issues, 1839–1891
| Year | Mint | Business strikes | Proof | Relative mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1839 | Philadelphia | Varieties reported separately | Varieties reported separately | |
| 1840 | New Orleans | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1840 | Philadelphia | 1,435,008 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1841 | New Orleans | 401,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1841 | Philadelphia | 310,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1842 | New Orleans | Varieties reported separately | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1842 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | Not published by NGC | |
| 1843 | New Orleans | 2,268,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1843 | Philadelphia | 3,844,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1844 | New Orleans | 2,005,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1844 | Philadelphia | 1,766,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1845 | New Orleans | 2,094,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1845 | Philadelphia | 589,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1846 | New Orleans | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1846 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | Not published by NGC | |
| 1847 | New Orleans | 2,584,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1847 | Philadelphia | 1,156,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1848 | New Orleans | 3,180,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1848 | Philadelphia | 580,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1849 | New Orleans | 2,310,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1849 | Philadelphia | 1,252,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1850 | New Orleans | 2,456,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1850 | Philadelphia | 227,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1851 | New Orleans | 402,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1851 | Philadelphia | 200,750 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1852 | New Orleans | 144,000 | Not published by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1852 | Philadelphia | 77,130 | Not published by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1853 | New Orleans | Varieties reported separately | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1853 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | Not published by NGC | |
| 1854 | New Orleans | 5,240,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1854 | Philadelphia | 2,982,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1855 | New Orleans | 3,688,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1855 | Philadelphia | 759,500 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1855 | San Francisco | 129,950 | Not published by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1856 | New Orleans | 2,658,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1856 | Philadelphia | 938,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1856 | San Francisco | 211,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1857 | New Orleans | 818,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1857 | Philadelphia | 1,988,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1857 | San Francisco | 158,000 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1858 | New Orleans | 7,294,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1858 | Philadelphia | 4,225,700 | 300 | |
| 1858 | San Francisco | 476,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1859 | New Orleans | 2,834,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1859 | Philadelphia | 747,200 | 800 | |
| 1859 | San Francisco | 566,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1860 | New Orleans | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1860 | Philadelphia | 302,700 | 1,000 | |
| 1860 | San Francisco | 472,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1861 | New Orleans | NGC records disagree | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1861 | Philadelphia | 2,887,400 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1862 | Philadelphia | 253,000 | 550 | |
| 1862 | San Francisco | 1,352,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1863 | Philadelphia | 503,200 | 460 | |
| 1863 | San Francisco | 916,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1864 | Philadelphia | 379,100 | 470 | |
| 1864 | San Francisco | 658,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1865 | Philadelphia | 511,400 | 500 | |
| 1865 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1866 | Philadelphia | 744,900 | Varieties reported separately | |
| 1866 | San Francisco | Varieties reported separately | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1867 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 625 | |
| 1867 | San Francisco | 1,196,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1868 | Philadelphia | 417,600 | 600 | |
| 1868 | San Francisco | 1,160,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1869 | Philadelphia | 795,300 | 600 | |
| 1869 | San Francisco | 656,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1870 | Carson City | 54,617 | Not listed by NGC | Low mintage |
| 1870 | Philadelphia | 633,900 | 1,000 | |
| 1870 | San Francisco | 1,004,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1871 | Carson City | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1871 | Philadelphia | 1,203,600 | 960 | |
| 1871 | San Francisco | 2,178,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1872 | Carson City | 272,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1872 | Philadelphia | 880,600 | 950 | |
| 1872 | San Francisco | 580,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1873 | Carson City | Varieties reported separately | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1873 | Philadelphia | Varieties reported separately | Varieties reported separately | |
| 1873 | San Francisco | 228,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1874 | Carson City | 59,000 | Not listed by NGC | Low mintage |
| 1874 | Philadelphia | 2,359,600 | 700 | |
| 1874 | San Francisco | 394,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1875 | Carson City | 1,008,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1875 | Philadelphia | 6,026,800 | 700 | |
| 1875 | San Francisco | 3,200,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1876 | Carson City | 1,956,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1876 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | Not published by NGC | |
| 1876 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1877 | Carson City | 1,420,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1877 | Philadelphia | 8,304,000 | 510 | |
| 1877 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1878 | Carson City | 62,000 | Not listed by NGC | Low mintage |
| 1878 | Philadelphia | 1,377,600 | 800 | |
| 1878 | San Francisco | 12,000 | Not listed by NGC | Low mintage |
| 1879 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | Not published by NGC | |
| 1880 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 1,355 | |
| 1881 | Philadelphia | 10,000 | 975 | Low mintage |
| 1882 | Philadelphia | 4,400 | 1,100 | Low mintage |
| 1883 | Philadelphia | 8,000 | 1,039 | Low mintage |
| 1884 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 875 | |
| 1885 | Philadelphia | 5,200 | 930 | Low mintage |
| 1886 | Philadelphia | 5,000 | 886 | Low mintage |
| 1887 | Philadelphia | 5,000 | 710 | Low mintage |
| 1888 | Philadelphia | 12,001 | 832 | Low mintage |
| 1889 | Philadelphia | 12,000 | 711 | Low mintage |
| 1890 | Philadelphia | 12,000 | 590 | Low mintage |
| 1891 | Philadelphia | 200,000 | 600 | |
| Mintages as published by NGC Coin Explorer, 2026-03 snapshot. Covers 1839–1891. NGC Coin Explorer does not list every date and mint, so this is what it publishes rather than a complete census. A further 1 listing it does publish is omitted here because NGC Coin Explorer records no single striking mint for it. | ||||