1831 Capped Bust Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 5,873,660 made
- Mintage
- 5,873,660
- Metal
- 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper
- Weight
- 13.48 g
- Diameter
- 32.5 mm (lettered edge); 30 mm (reeded edge)
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 1831 Capped Bust Half Dollar worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.3868 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1831 Capped Bust Half Dollar rare?
- No. With 5.9 million made, it's one of the most common Capped Bust Half Dollars.
- Is the 1831 Capped Bust Half Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper and holds 0.3868 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1831 Capped Bust Half Dollar?
- No mint mark. Struck in Philadelphia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1831 are scarcer?
- The 1836, Reeded Edge at 1,200, the 1828 at 3,075,200, the 1829 at 3,712,156, plus 6 more. So the 1831 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1831 Capped Bust Half Dollar coins were made?
- 5,873,660.
What to check on your 1831
- 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. Look at the curls near the ear, the clasp at the shoulder and the eagle's neck and wings.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1831
Philadelphia made 5,873,660 in 1831, up from 4.8 million in 1830. In 1832 the figure was 4.8 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1831 you find is from Philadelphia.
Across Philadelphia's 33 Capped Bust Half Dollar issues, the hardest to find is the 1836, Reeded Edge with 1,200 made. The 1831 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1830s it's 11th smallest of 13, between the 1835 (5.4 million) and the 1834 (6.4 million).
Peak lettered edge production (1825 to 1835)
From 1825 the Mint struck about three to more than six million halves a year, reaching 6,412,004 in 1834. These high mintages make the dates of the late 1820s and early 1830s the most available Capped Bust halves and the usual choice for a type set. The lettered edge still reads FIFTY CENTS OR HALF A DOLLAR.
Varieties are plentiful. The 1828 has curled and square base 2 dates with large and small letters on the reverse. The 1830 comes with a small or large 0 and the 1832 with small or large letters. Collectors identify individual die pairs using the numbering system published by Al C. Overton. Coins of these years are often found with original toning in Fine to About Uncirculated, though cleaned and polished pieces are common.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1831
New close-collar presses made the quarter smaller and more uniform in 1831. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM was removed from its reverse.
How to recognize it
John Reich's Liberty faces left in a cloth cap with a band inscribed LIBERTY, surrounded by stars with the date below. The reverse shows an eagle with a shield on its breast and the value 50 C. (later 50 CENTS and HALF DOL.). Coins to 1836 have a lettered edge; later coins are reeded and slightly smaller. Hundreds of die marriages make this a favorite series for variety specialists.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Capped Bust Half Dollar (1807–1839) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1831 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 5,873,660 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 89.24% silver, 10.76% copper |
| Weight | 13.48 grams |
| Diameter | 32.5 mm (lettered edge); 30 mm (reeded edge) |
| Edge | Lettered to 1836, then reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3868 troy oz (12.030 g) |
| Designer | John Reich; reeded-edge version by Christian Gobrecht |
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.