1878 Seated Liberty Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,378,400 made
- Mintage
- 1,378,400
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 12.5 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 1878 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 1878 Seated Liberty Half Dollar rare?
- Somewhat. 1,378,400 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1878 Seated Liberty Half Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3617 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1878 Seated Liberty Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1878 are scarcer?
- The 1882 at 4,400, the 1879 at 4,800, the 1883 at 8,000, plus 4 more. So the 1878 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1878 Seated Liberty Half Dollar coins were made?
- 1,378,400.
What to check on your 1878
- 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 1878
Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1878. Only 1,378,400 were made, against 8.3 million the year before. That drop is why the 1878 is the one people look for. The next year it made 4,800 (1879).
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1878-S (12,000) and 1878-CC (62,000). In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1862-S (1,352,000) and the 1877-CC (1,420,000).
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 21st smallest of 32, between the 1871 (1.2 million) and the 1877-CC (1.4 million).
Arrows again and the silver flood (1873 to 1878)
Early 1873 halves without arrows come with closed 3 and open 3 dates. The 1873-S without arrows had a reported mintage of 5,000, but no example is known today. Once the Coinage Act of 1873 set the half at 12.5 grams, arrows were added beside the date for 1873 and 1874. The 1874-CC, with 59,000 struck, is the scarce coin of that type.
From 1875 to 1877 the Mint struck halves by the millions to retire fractional paper currency. These are the most common Seated halves and the easiest to find in mint state. The flood ended abruptly in 1878. San Francisco struck only 12,000 and Carson City 62,000 that year. The 1878-S is one of the major rarities of the series. The 1878-CC is scarce as well.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1878
The Bland-Allison Act required the Treasury to buy millions of dollars' worth of silver each month and coin it into dollars. George T. Morgan's new silver dollar was the result and the twenty-cent piece was struck for the last time, as proofs only.
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 | 1878 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,378,400 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 12.5 grams |
| Diameter | 30.6 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3617 troy oz (11.250 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1878 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 1,378,400 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1878-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 12,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1878-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 62,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 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.