1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Arrows and Rays
Circulation strike struck at the New Orleans Mint · 1,328,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,328,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 12.44 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 1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Arrows and Rays worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
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 1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Arrows and Rays rare?
- Somewhat. 1,328,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Arrows and Rays silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3600 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1853 Seated Liberty Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is O, for New Orleans.
- Which New Orleans dates near 1853 are scarcer?
- The 1853-O, No Arrows at 4, the 1852-O at 144,000, the 1851-O at 402,000, plus 1 more. So the 1853-O is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Arrows and Rays coins were made?
- 1,328,000.
What to check on your 1853-O
- Make sure the mint mark really is a O. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1853-O (4 made).
- 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.
The story of the 1853-O
New Orleans ramped up hard in 1853: 1,328,000 coins, about 332000 times the 1853 run. The next year it made 5.2 million (1854-O).
1853-O came to 4 and 1853 came to 3.5 million, so neither mint's 1853 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1862-S (1,352,000) and the 1860-O (1,290,000).
New Orleans struck the Seated Liberty Half Dollar in 24 issues between 1840 and 1861. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1853-O, No Arrows (4). Within the 1850s it's 16th smallest of 26, between the 1856 (938,000) and the 1857 (2 million).
It also marks a change of metal: 1853 is the first year of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar in 90% silver, 10% copper, which lasted until 1873.
Arrows, rays and lighter halves (1853 to 1855)
The Act of February 21, 1853 reduced the half dollar from 13.36 to 12.44 grams. Arrows beside the date and rays around the eagle marked the new weight in 1853. Philadelphia and New Orleans struck more than 4.8 million between them, so the arrows and rays type is easy to find in worn grades. It is a one-year type that most collectors include in a type set.
A handful of 1853-O halves were struck without arrows or rays. Only four are known and the coin is among the most famous Seated rarities. The rays were dropped in 1854, while arrows remained through 1855. New Orleans struck 5,240,000 in 1854. San Francisco struck its first halves in 1855, a scarce run of 129,950. The 1855/4 overdate from Philadelphia is a popular variety.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1853
Silver bullion was worth more than face value, so the Act of February 21, 1853 reduced the weight of the half dime, dime, quarter and half dollar. Arrows beside the date and rays on the reverse marked the lighter coins.
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 | 1853 |
| Mint | New Orleans Mint |
| Mint mark | "O" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,328,000 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 12.44 grams |
| Diameter | 30.6 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3600 troy oz (11.196 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1853 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1853 Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Arrows and Rays | 3,532,708 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 oz |
| 1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar, No Arrows | 4 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 oz |
| 1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar, Arrows and Rays | 1,328,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 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.