1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 100,000 made
- Mintage
- 100,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 13.36 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1839 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar rare?
- Yes. Only 100,000 were made, 21st lowest of the 116 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3866 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1839 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1839.
- How many 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar coins were made?
- 100,000.
What to check on your 1839
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the shield is the benchmark for Fine. Check the high points of Liberty's knees and breast.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1839
1839 was the first year of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar. Philadelphia struck 100,000 of them. In 1839 the figure was 2 million.
The other mint made far more that year: 1839 alone came to 2 million, roughly 20 for every 1839. If you're checking a pile of 1839 coins, the mint mark is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1873-CC, No Arrows (122,500) and the 1852 (77,130).
Across Philadelphia's 56 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues, the hardest to find is the 1882 with 4,400 made. The 1839 is on the scarcer side of the middle.
It also marks a change of metal: 1839 is the first year of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar in 90% silver, 10% copper, which lasted until 1852.
Gobrecht's seated half and New Orleans output (1839 to 1852)
The Seated Liberty half dollar arrived in 1839. The earliest coins lack drapery at Liberty's elbow, while later 1839 coins show the added folds of cloth. From 1840 New Orleans produced halves every year of the period, often outstripping Philadelphia, with the mint mark below the eagle. New Orleans struck 3,180,000 in 1848 while Philadelphia made only 580,000.
Varieties include the scarce 1842-O small date and the 1846 with a 6 punched over a horizontal 6. After gold was found in California, the silver in these coins became worth more than face value. Many were melted or exported. Philadelphia struck only 227,000 in 1850, 200,750 in 1851 and 77,130 in 1852, making the 1852 the scarcest Philadelphia date of the period.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1839
The Liberty Seated half dollar replaced the Capped Bust design and the Braided Hair cent replaced the Coronet design late in the year.
How to recognize it
Liberty sits on a rock holding a shield inscribed LIBERTY and a pole topped with a liberty cap, with 13 stars around her and the date below. The reverse shows an eagle with HALF DOL. below. Arrows beside the date (1853 to 1855 and 1873 to 1874) and rays around the eagle (1853) mark weight changes and IN GOD WE TRUST appears above the eagle from 1866.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Seated Liberty Half Dollar (1839–1891) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1839 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 100,000 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 13.36 grams |
| Diameter | 30.6 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3866 troy oz (12.024 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 100,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3866 oz |
| 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow) | 1,972,400 | Circulation strike | 0.3866 oz |
Mintage: United States half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.