Seated Liberty Half Dollar Guide

This Seated Liberty Half Dollar guide is designed to help those that are not fully aware of this beautiful coin why it is so cherished. This coin was minted between 1839 and 1891. The seated Lady Liberty appearing on the half dollar was the last denomination to have her placed there. The first was the silver dollar in 1936.

This series of coins were being minted when the motto “In God We Trust” began to appear on American coins. This was in response to the heart ache and loss of so many Americans during the civil war. This motto started to appear in 1866 on the reverse of this coin.

In that first year, 1939, there were 2 versions of the coin. The one with the drape on the lady’s elbow is worth 2 to 10 times more than a comparable version without one.  Another rarity was the 1853 coin. This was the only year there were rays in the back side behind the eagle.

One unusual fact of this coin has to be mentioned. There were three different weights but the diameter remained the same. From 1839 to 1853, the coin weighed 13.36g. From 1853 to 1873 the weight of the coins was 12.44g. From 1873 to 1891 the weight was increased to 12.50g.

This coin was minted at the same time of the Morgan Silver Dollar. At the Philadelphia mint, a majority of the resources were transferred to their minting. That makes all the Seated Liberty half dollars minted during this period at the Philadelphia mint very rare.

For most that enjoy coin collecting, the CC or Carson City-minted coins are popular since this mint no longer exists, and there is a connection to the Wild West. But there are others that are worth watching out for. An extremely rare coin is the 1878 S which only a few are known to exist. Another rare coin where only 5 are known to still be with us is the 1853 O with no arrows at the date and no rays on the back.

I hope this Seated Liberty Half Dollar guide gives you a better appreciation for this coin.

For additional resources on coins, please see Collecting Roman Coins. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve our site, please leave them. Thank you for visiting.

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