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Seated Liberty Half Dollar

1856 Seated Liberty Half Dollar
 

Seated Liberty Half Dollar

In the mid-to-late 1830’s, American coins started to adopt the Seated Liberty design.  The last coin to take on this design was the half dollar.  Seated Liberty Half Dollar Coin's design shows Liberty sitting on a stone.  She is holding a pole with a liberty cap hanging off the tip in her left hand.  In her right hand, she holds a shield.  She is surrounded by stars symbolizing states.  The other side of Seated Liberty Half Dollar Coin shows a large, fierce-looking eagle bearing a shield, and carrying both arrows and an olive branch in its claws.  The Seated Liberty Half Dollar was made of copper and silver, and was about twelve or thirteen grams in mass (measurements varied as the design changed slightly over the years). 

1842 Seated Liberty Half Dollar
 

There are many varieties among Seated Liberty Half Dollar Coins.  Some of them are extremely rare and valuable, such as the 1853-O No Arrow or Rays version, which has been sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  There is also the 1861-O Proof Half Dollar, which is suspected to have been created by Southern forces in New Orleans specifically to defy the North during the Civil War, after the rebel army shut down the mint in the area.  Very little written proof exists to tell its story, but physical evidence in the appearance of Seated Liberty Half Dollar suggests that it was a proof.  Seated Liberty Half Dollar Coin is on display, and is set to be put up for auction in 2011.  This will probably be a major event among collectors, even if relatively few will be able to place a bid.

Grading Seated Liberty Half Dollars

Seated Liberty Half Dollar Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1839-1891)

Date/TypeG4VG8F12VF20XF40AU50AU53AU55AU58MS60PR60
(Proof)
No Drapery
1839 No Drapery$60$102$210$450$1,160$2,590$2,750$3,750$5,040$6,420--
W/Drapery No Motto
1839 W/Drapery N/M$30$44$69$110$210$324$360$480$640$840$630
*1840 Rev 38$161$230$360$480$980$1,470$1,710$2,010$2,520$3,780--
1840 Rev 39$31$46$63$101$180$270$320$402$570$690--
1840 O$35$53$69$132$222$360$414$480$600$810--
1841$45$61$91$200$270$420$450$510$870$1,440$630
1841 O$28$44$63$106$216$300$390$516$600$840--
1842$29$46$61$88$162$270$300$360$540$690$630
*1842 O Rev 41(Sm)$720$1,050$1,530$2,190$4,910$9,690$13,130$15,310$17,400$21,880--
1842 O Rev 42$29$44$58$86$192$360$450$540$870$1,080--
1843$28$39$53$72$156$216$300$330$480$600$630
1843 O$28$40$56$84$168$250$300$360$510$720--
1844$28$40$53$73$132$210$300$330$420$510$630
1844 O$28$40$54$79$150$240$300$420$510$780--
*1844 O Dbl. Date$495$840$1,380$1,910$3,090$6,090$6,310$7,310------
1845$37$63$86$162$282$420$480$575$690$840$630
1845 O$32$46$58$98$192$300$390$480$540$700--
1845 O No Drapery$41$63$98$180$270$450$510$600$750$1,690--
1846$28$41$55$78$156$240$282$360$510$620$630
*1846/Horiz 6$230$300$360$552$870$1,410$1,750$2,090$2,820$3,540--
1846 O$30$45$58$88$156$312$360$420$480$880--
*1846 O Tall Date$190$360$450$630$1,690$2,000$2,190$3,090$3,470$8,440--
1847$30$39$54$77$162$216$270$330$450$570$630
1847/6----$4,430$5,440$8,440$14,380$18,130$28,130$32,190----
1847 O$30$41$53$72$174$360$408$510$570$840--
1848$41$62$100$168$330$480$570$720$820$930$630
1848 O$28$41$53$72$140$312$360$390$690$890--
1849$36$47$59$106$192$420$480$570$640$900$630
1849 O$29$43$54$77$162$330$390$510$600$930--
*1850$230$350$450$600$790$1,050$1,200$1,290$1,620$1,830$630
1850 O$29$41$54$90$168$300$360$450$510$660--
*1851$345$450$600$940$1,120$1,380$1,470$1,680$2,220$2,500$630
1851 O$32$58$75$156$220$348$390$450$760$1,020--
*1852$380$540$770$1,040$1,180$1,290$1,410$1,530$2,000$2,220$630
1852 O$63$115$219$510$780$1,880$1,970$2,060$2,440$2,810--
Arrows & Rays
1853 Arrows & Rays$32$41$70$115$276$528$610$750$1,050$1,440$31,880
1853 O Arrows & Rays$40$52$90$180$360$930$1,080$1,280$1,970$2,750--
Arrows at Date
1854$30$40$54$76$132$288$312$330$456$640$9,060
1854 O$31$41$59$90$162$312$372$420$480$650--
1855$31$43$55$84$168$312$360$420$540$780$9,380
1855/54$63$127$190$288$462$750$820$900$1,500$2,010$10,310
1855 O$30$43$56$77$162$330$414$432$468$670--
*1855 S$480$630$1,020$2,250$4,770$7,020$7,800$9,810$13,440$16,880--
No Motto
1856$28$43$52$71$125$224$240$290$360$570$3,880
1856 O$32$44$54$69$132$252$270$330$390$540--
1856 S$52$68$140$360$600$1,470$1,710$1,920$2,370$4,200--
1857$28$40$51$70$125$200$210$240$330$480$2,440
1857 O$30$41$55$81$186$288$330$480$720$1,050--
1857 S$77$109$175$345$900$1,290$1,650$2,010$2,220$4,950--
1858$30$40$54$70$126$192$216$258$336$480$910
1858 O$31$41$52$72$156$240$270$300$372$450--
1858 S$30$45$67$115$216$390$480$570$780$1,170--
1859$29$44$61$82$150$246$270$312$390$480$630
1859 O$29$41$53$77$127$230$250$288$420$510--
1859 S$32$45$75$109$230$360$420$570$870$1,350--
1860$29$44$61$74$155$264$294$330$420$630$630
1860 O$29$39$56$71$138$270$300$390$450$540--
1860 S$35$47$67$97$173$282$330$450$760$1,290--
1861$29$40$53$69$145$240$288$330$360$510$670
1861 O$28$40$52$83$168$240$270$300$370$480--
1861 S$29$43$60$78$184$330$480$540$630$1,050--
1862$35$55$74$117$210$380$420$456$510$630$660
1862 S$29$45$52$71$161$270$300$480$570$690--
1863$31$46$67$83$173$300$360$420$510$600$670
1863 S$29$45$54$74$144$250$330$360$480$640--
1864$32$58$75$101$190$330$390$510$570$660$670
1864 S$31$44$58$81$173$348$420$468$570$840--
1865$37$51$69$97$175$300$330$390$540$660$630
1865 S$32$46$60$84$190$342$420$630$900$1,020--
*1866 S No Motto$480$660$920$1,500$2,550$3,120$3,330$3,660$4,380$5,440--
With Motto
1866$29$35$49$81$173$222$240$300$360$480$468
1866 S With Motto$29$36$51$81$184$300$360$450$510$600--
1867$31$48$72$132$184$330$360$420$450$540$480
1867 S$28$35$52$74$161$288$330$360$480$870--
1868$51$70$109$184$305$420$450$528$640$700$468
1868 S$28$35$48$72$167$240$330$390$450$540--
1869$28$33$49$63$138$210$270$348$390$480$468
1869 S$29$36$52$67$161$390$450$480$600$810--
1870$32$43$55$69$144$240$300$360$480$600$468
**1870 CC$1,260$2,550$3,780$8,820$17,810$25,630$31,880$45,630$59,380----
1870 S$29$36$49$72$184$348$390$480$620$930--
1871$28$35$48$67$115$216$246$300$360$510$480
*1871 CC$345$570$750$1,110$3,180$5,470$5,720$7,940$10,560$16,250--
1871 S$28$33$48$63$121$240$300$330$420$540--
1872$28$35$51$72$127$240$300$360$450$570$480
*1872 CC$127$210$360$840$1,710$2,940$3,750$4,840$8,590$13,130--
1872 S$36$52$75$109$240$420$450$570$770$1,080--
1873 Closed 3$32$47$72$104$180$312$360$390$510$570$468
**1873 Open 3$2,940$3,810$4,710$6,210$8,070$10,560$11,190$12,310$14,810$20,630--
*1873 CC$300$390$540$990$2,100$4,720$4,940$8,590$11,090$12,310--
Arrows at Date
1873 Arrows$33$43$61$92$252$420$450$525$700$970$960
*1873 CC Arrows$264$360$420$1,050$2,340$3,560$3,880$4,470$5,440$7,690--
1873 S$63$97$180$270$510$870$1,070$1,660$2,220$2,690--
1874$35$44$63$121$252$390$420$575$730$970$960
*1874 CC$630$1,050$1,440$2,100$4,720$6,160$7,220$9,090$11,060$14,690--
1874 S$39$53$94$210$420$780$850$940$1,190$1,940--
With Motto
1875$28$35$48$58$94$180$210$228$330$432$450
1875 CC$37$52$70$138$240$330$390$570$830$990--
1875 S$28$35$52$67$120$198$210$270$318$450--
1876$28$33$47$60$109$216$228$240$270$450$462
1876 CC$36$46$69$92$216$330$390$450$510$880--
1876 S$28$33$47$58$104$192$216$240$330$510--
1877$28$33$47$59$92$186$210$240$390$450$480
1877 CC$29$38$67$98$216$330$360$450$630$780--
1877 S$28$33$47$58$95$192$216$252$330$420--
1878$31$43$56$74$106$258$282$300$390$480$456
*1878 CC$690$990$1,170$1,920$3,120$4,780$5,190$6,440$9,940$10,560--
***1878 S$25,000$37,500$46,880$54,380$61,880$68,130$70,630$74,380$79,380$87,500--
*1879$336$360$390$420$450$540$570$620$700$760$450
*1880$240$318$360$408$480$540$570$600$640$720$510
*1881$300$330$348$390$450$540$582$610$660$750$510
*1882$360$408$470$510$570$680$720$770$840$930$480
*1883$270$390$450$540$570$600$640$680$740$830$510
*1884$384$468$492$528$600$640$670$720$860$920$540
*1885$360$450$480$540$570$640$670$710$800$850$610
*1886$360$480$570$600$660$690$720$780$820$900$480
*1887$450$510$570$660$770$840$870$930$990$1,050$450
*1888$288$312$360$420$540$600$630$650$720$780$480
*1889$300$342$378$420$480$588$630$690$740$810$540
*1890$270$348$390$420$516$600$640$680$710$770$450
1891$55$72$106$150$180$270$300$330$480$540$450

 

Seated Liberty Half Dollar Coins on eBay

1847-O Seated Liberty Half  Choice  AU+ 1847-O Seated Liberty Half Choice AU+ Paypal US $279.99 19m