Seated Liberty Half-Dollars
(1794 - Current)
The Seated Liberty Half Dollar debuted in 1839, featuring Liberty seated on a rock holding a shield and pole topped with a liberty cap. The design was created by Christian Gobrecht. The reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield, olive branch, and arrows, similar in concept to earlier silver denominations.
All Seated Liberty halves were struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 13.36 grams after the 1837 weight adjustment. Over its long run, the series underwent several design modifications, including the addition of drapery at Liberty’s elbow (added in 1840), arrows at the date in 1853–1855 to denote a slight weight reduction, and the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST,” which first appeared on the reverse in 1866 following the Civil War.
This series includes numerous key and semi-key dates, branch mint issues (notably from New Orleans, San Francisco, and Carson City), and popular varieties. Many pieces saw heavy circulation, making higher-grade examples especially desirable to collectors.
Check out dates & mintages for Seated Liberty Half-Dollars, below.Business Strikes
Type 1, No Drapery
1839 No Drapery | 100,000
Type 2, No Motto
1839 Drapery | 1,872,400
1840 | 1,008,600
1840-O | 855,100
1841 | 1,124,000
1841-O | 401,000
1842 | 2,390,000
1842-O | 754,000
1843 | 2,799,000
1843-O | 2,268,000
1844 | 2,144,000
1844-O | 2,005,000
1845 | 2,332,000
1845-O | 2,094,000
1846 | 2,890,000
1846-O | 2,304,000
1847 | 2,890,000
1847-O | 2,584,000
1848 | 2,440,000
1848-O | 3,180,000
1849 | 2,410,000
1849-O | 2,310,000
1850 | 2,232,000
1850-O | 2,456,000
1851 | 200,750
1851-O | 402,000
1852 | 77,130
1852-O | 144,000
Type 3, Arrows & Rays
1853 Arrows & Rays | 3,532,708
1853-O Arrows & Rays | 1,328,000
Type 4, No Motto, Arrows at Date
1854 Arrows | 4,060,000
1854-O Arrows | 5,240,000
1855 Arrows | 3,480,000
1855-O Arrows | 3,688,000
1855-S Arrows | 129,950
Type 2, No Motto
1856 | 4,320,000
1856-O | 2,658,000
1856-S | 211,000
1857 | 4,580,000
1857-O | 818,000
1857-S | 158,000
1858 | 3,500,000
1858-O | 7,294,000
1858-S | 476,000
1859 | 7,360,000
1859-O | 2,834,000
1859-S | 566,000
1860 | 6,300,000
1860-O | 1,290,000
1860-S | 472,000
1861 | 4,840,000
1861-O | 2,532,633
1861-S | 939,500
1862 | 1,580,000
1862-S | 1,352,000
1863 | 1,100,000
1863-S | 916,000
1864 | 379,000
1864-S | 658,000
1865 | 501,000
1865-S | 675,000
1866 No Motto | 9,900
1866-S No Motto | 60,000
Type 5, With Motto
1866 With Motto | 780,000
1866-S Motto | 994,000
1867 | 865,000
1867-S | 1,196,000
1868 | 290,000
1868-S | 1,160,000
1869 | 417,600
1869-S | 656,000
1870 | 507,600
1870-CC | 54,617
1870-S | 1,004,000
1871 | 384,600
1871-CC | 153,950
1871-S | 2,178,000
1872 | 980,000
1872-CC | 257,000
1872-S | 580,000
1873 (No Arrows) | 543,400
1873-CC No Arrows | 122,500
Type 6, With Motto, Arrows at Date
1873 Arrows | 1,228,000
1873-CC Arrows | 214,560
1873-S Arrows | 228,000
1874 Arrows | 2,359,600
1874-CC Arrows | 59,000
1874-S Arrows | 394,000
Type 5, With Motto
1875 | 3,700,000
1875-CC | 1,008,000
1875-S | 3,200,000
1876 | 3,470,000
1876-CC | 1,956,000
1876-S | 4,528,000
1877 | 5,100,000
1877-CC | 1,420,000
1877-S | 5,356,000
1878 | 2,130,000
1878-CC | 62,000
1879 | 1,100,000
1880 | 2,133,000
1881 | 1,000,000
1882 | 2,380,000
1883 | 3,100,000
1884 | 3,200,000
1885 | 3,200,000
1886 | 3,940,000
1887 | 5,100,000
1888 | 4,950,000
1889 | 5,650,000
1890 | 5,800,000
1891 | 5,300,000
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