1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 634,900 made
- Mintage
- 634,900
- 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 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar 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 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar rare?
- Somewhat. 634,900 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3600 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1870 are scarcer?
- The 1873, No Arrows (Open 3) at 214,200, the 1868 at 418,200, the 1867 at 449,925, plus 2 more. So the 1870 is on the scarcer side for those years.
- How many 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar coins were made?
- 634,900.
What to check on your 1870
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1870
Philadelphia made 634,900 in 1870, down from 795,900 in 1869. The next year it made 1.2 million (1871).
1870-CC came to 54,617 and 1870-S came to 1 million, so neither mint's 1870 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1869-S (656,000) and the 1864-S (658,000).
Philadelphia struck the Seated Liberty Half Dollar in 56 issues between 1839 and 1891. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1882 (4,400). Within the 1870s it's 16th smallest of 32, between the 1873, No Arrows (587,000) and the 1872 (881,550).
Motto above the eagle and Carson City (1866 to 1872)
IN GOD WE TRUST was added on a scroll above the eagle in 1866. San Francisco struck both the old and new reverses that year. The 1866-S without motto, with 60,000 made, is scarce. Philadelphia mintages ran from about 418,000 to 1.2 million a year, while San Francisco often struck more than one million.
The Carson City Mint struck its first halves in 1870. The 1870-CC, with 54,617 made, is the key. Carson City halves of 1871 and 1872 are scarce in all grades. Many Nevada-struck halves circulated in the mining West and survive heavily worn, scratched or cleaned. Mint state CC halves of these years are major rarities, so most collectors settle for a sound Fine or Very Fine coin.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1870
The Carson City Mint in Nevada began striking coins in 1870, using silver from the Comstock Lode. Its "CC" mint mark is now among the most sought after.
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 | 1870 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 634,900 |
| 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 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 634,900 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 oz |
| 1870-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 1,004,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 oz |
| 1870-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 54,617 | 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.