1839 US Coins: Values & Mintages

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.

New this year: the Braided Hair Large Cent and the Seated Liberty Half Dollar.

Last year of the Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent and the Capped Bust Half Dollar.

The Mint in the 1830s

A new, larger Mint building opened in Philadelphia in 1833 at Chestnut and Juniper streets. Steam power arrived in 1836, allowing much faster and more uniform striking. The Coinage Act of 1834 cut the gold content of US gold coins so they would stop being exported and the Act of 1837 standardized silver coins at 90% silver.

Christian Gobrecht joined the Mint as engraver and designed the Seated Liberty figure that would appear on silver coins for more than half a century. Gold discoveries in Georgia and North Carolina led Congress to authorize branch mints at Charlotte and Dahlonega and a third at New Orleans, in 1835. All three began striking coins in 1838.

How many coins were made in 1839

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 11,880,487 coins dated 1839 across 11 issues. That is 23% fewer than in 1838 (15,441,754). In 1840 the figure fell to 10,179,220.

It was the smallest year since 1834.

By mint: Philadelphia 9,407,448 (79%, down from 14,965,700) and New Orleans 2,473,039 (21%, up from 476,054).

Those coins held about 1,744,547 troy ounces of pure silver.

1839 coins by denomination

Cents: 3,328,661 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent and Braided Hair Large Cent, down 48% on 1838. The scarcest is the 1839 (200,000) and the most plentiful the 1839 (3,128,661).

Dimes: 2,376,115 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Dime, down 0.93% on 1838. The scarcest is the 1839 (1,053,115) and the most plentiful the 1839-O (1,323,000).

Quarters: 491,146 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Quarter, down 41% on 1838.

Half Dollars: 3,581,376 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Capped Bust Half Dollar and Seated Liberty Half Dollar, up 1.0% on 1838. The scarcest is the 1839 (100,000) and the most plentiful the 1839 (Drapery from elbow) (1,972,400).

Odd Denominations: 2,103,189 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dime, down 8.4% on 1838. The scarcest is the 1839-O (1,034,039) and the most plentiful the 1839 (1,069,150).

Every 1839 circulation issue at a glance

• 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 100,000 struck, 21st lowest of 116 in the series.
• 1839-O Capped Bust Half Dollar: 116,000 struck, 4th lowest of 35 in the series, up from 20 in 1838.
• 1839 Braided Hair Large Cent: 200,000 struck, the lowest mintage of all 19 Braided Hair Large Cent issues.
• 1839 Seated Liberty Quarter: 491,146 struck, more than 66% of the series' 108 issues, similar to 1838.
• 1839-O Seated Liberty Half Dime: 1,034,039 struck, more than 65% of the series' 70 issues, up from 70,000 in 1838.
• 1839 Seated Liberty Dime: 1,053,115 struck, more than 56% of the series' 116 issues, down from 1,992,500 in 1838.
• 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dime: 1,069,150 struck, more than 68% of the series' 70 issues, down from 2,225,000 in 1838.
• 1839-O Seated Liberty Dime: 1,323,000 struck, more than 59% of the series' 116 issues, up from 406,034 in 1838.
• 1839 Capped Bust Half Dollar: 1,392,976 struck, 14th lowest of 35 in the series, down from 3,546,000 in 1838.
• 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow): 1,972,400 struck, more than 74% of the series' 116 issues.
• 1839 Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent: 3,128,661 struck, more than 70% of the series' 24 issues, down from 6,370,200 in 1838.

Coronet (Matron Head) Large Cent: Gobrecht's modified heads and Hard Times

Christian Gobrecht began reworking the portrait in 1835, so some 1835 cents show the older head and others the slimmer Head of 1836. In 1837 he added beaded hair cords, giving the Head of 1838, while plain cord coins of the same year also exist. Demand rose during the Panic of 1837. Mintages reached 5.5 million in 1837 and 6.4 million in 1838.

The final year, 1839, is a collector favorite because it holds several transitional portraits known as the Silly Head and the Booby Head, as well as the scarce 1839/6 overdate, the key to this group. Copper Hard Times tokens, the same size as a cent, circulated widely in these years and are often found alongside them. Cents of 1835 to 1839 usually come with honest brown surfaces and are among the more affordable Coronet dates to complete.

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Braided Hair Large Cent: Petite Head cents

Christian Gobrecht's Braided Hair portrait arrived late in 1839, so only about 200,000 cents of the new design carry that date. The first version, called the Petite Head, shows a small head with small letters on the reverse. Annual output settled between 1.6 and 2.5 million cents. The 1840 and 1842 each come in small date and large date styles. The 1840 has a small date over large 18 variety.

In 1843 the Mint introduced a larger, more mature head and larger reverse letters. That year therefore has three combinations: Petite Head with small letters, Mature Head with large letters and a scarce mule pairing the Petite Head with the large letter reverse. Petite Head cents are usually seen worn to Very Fine or below with chocolate brown color. Proofs from these years are rare and were made only in very small numbers.

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Seated Liberty Quarter: Seated quarters before the 1853 weight cut

Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty quarter replaced the Capped Bust late in 1838. The first coins have no drapery at Liberty's elbow. Extra folds of cloth were added in 1840, the same year the New Orleans Mint struck its first quarters in both styles. New Orleans then made quarters in most years of the 1840s, with the mint mark below the eagle.

After the California gold discoveries, silver rose in value against gold. Quarters became worth more as bullion than as money, so many were melted or shipped abroad. Philadelphia struck only 160,000 in 1851 and New Orleans just 88,000. The 1849-O, 1851-O and 1852-O are the scarce dates of these years. The 1842 small date exists only as a Philadelphia proof, while New Orleans struck both small and large dates that year.

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Capped Bust Half Dollar: Steam press and reeded edge

In late 1836 the Mint used its new steam-powered press to strike a redesigned half dollar modified by Christian Gobrecht. It was smaller, at about 30 mm, with a reeded edge in place of the lettered one. Only 1,200 reeded edge halves are dated 1836. Lettered edge halves were also struck that year, including an error with 50 over 00 in the denomination.

The 1837 reverse reads 50 CENTS, while 1838 and 1839 read HALF DOL. The 1837 coins were the first struck to the new standard of 90 percent silver and 13.36 grams. New Orleans struck about 20 halves in 1838. They are among the rarest of all American silver coins. The 1838-O and 1839-O carry their mint mark on the obverse above the date, an unusual position. The Seated Liberty half replaced the design later in 1839.

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Seated Liberty Half Dollar: Gobrecht's seated half and New Orleans output

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.

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Seated Liberty Dime: No stars, then stars, then drapery

Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty design reached the dime in 1837. It was a small version of his silver dollar of 1836 and drew on sketches by the painters Thomas Sully and Titian Peale. The very first dimes show Liberty and the date with no stars at all. Philadelphia struck 682,500 of these No Stars coins, in Large Date and Small Date forms. In 1838 the newly opened New Orleans Mint added 406,034 more, the first dimes ever struck outside Philadelphia. Its dies followed the original design without stars, so the 1838-O is a No Stars coin too.

Philadelphia put thirteen stars around Liberty in 1838 to match the other silver coins and output jumped to 1,992,500. Small Stars, Large Stars and Partial Drapery dies are all part of that figure. New Orleans then struck more dimes than Philadelphia in 1839, with 1,323,000 against 1,053,115. Late in 1840 the sculptor Robert Ball Hughes reworked Liberty. He added a fold of cloth that falls from her left elbow over her knee, gave her a larger cap and stood the shield more upright. Only 377,500 Philadelphia dimes of 1840 carry the new drapery, against 981,500 without it.

For any dime of these four years, start by looking below Liberty's elbow. No extra cloth there means a No Drapery coin. Then count the stars, or note that there are none. Every coin of the period weighs 2.67 grams of 90 percent silver and most survivors are well worn, so a No Stars dime with a clear date and a readable shield is a pleasing find.

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Seated Liberty Half Dime: No stars, then stars, then drapery

Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty half dime appeared in 1837, the same year as the dime. The first coins have no stars on the obverse, just Liberty and the date. Philadelphia struck 1,405,000 of them, in Large Date and Small Date forms. In 1838 the new New Orleans Mint made its first half dimes, 70,000 coins that also lack stars. The 1838-O is the key of the early years and a significant rarity in any grade. Only these two issues, the 1837 and the 1838-O, carry the No Stars design, so both are popular type coins.

Philadelphia added thirteen stars around Liberty in 1838 and struck 2,225,000 coins with Large Stars and Small Stars. In 1839 Philadelphia and New Orleans made almost the same number, 1,069,150 and 1,034,039. Late in 1840 Robert Ball Hughes reworked Liberty, adding drapery at her left elbow. Both mints struck both styles that year. Philadelphia made 1,034,000 without drapery and 310,085 with it. New Orleans made 695,000 without drapery and 240,000 with it, which makes the 1840-O With Drapery the scarcer of the pair.

All half dimes of these years are 15.5 millimeters across and weigh 1.34 grams of 90 percent silver. They are tiny and easy to lose, so many survivors show bends, holes or harsh cleaning. Check for stars first, then look below Liberty's elbow for the drapery.

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