1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow)
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,972,400 made
- Mintage
- 1,972,400
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 13.36 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 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow) 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 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow) rare?
- Somewhat. 1,972,400 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow) silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3866 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1839 are scarcer?
- The 1839 at 100,000, the 1841 at 310,000, the 1840 at 1,435,008, plus 1 more. So the 1839 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow) coins were made?
- 1,972,400.
What to check on your 1839
- 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 1839
1839 was the first year of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar. Philadelphia struck 1,972,400 of them. The next year it made 1.4 million (1840).
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1839 (100,000). In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1857 (1,988,000) and the 1876-CC (1,956,000).
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).
It also marks a change of metal: 1839 is the first year of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar in 90% silver, 10% copper, which lasted until 1852.
Gobrecht's seated half and New Orleans output (1839 to 1852)
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.
Elsewhere in 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.
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 | 1839 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,972,400 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 13.36 grams |
| Diameter | 30.6 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3866 troy oz (12.024 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 100,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3866 oz |
| 1839 Seated Liberty Half Dollar (Drapery from elbow) | 1,972,400 | Circulation strike | 0.3866 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.