1877-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 5,356,000 made
- Mintage
- 5,356,000
- 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 1877-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.3617 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 1877-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar rare?
- No. With 5.4 million made, it's one of the most common Seated Liberty Half Dollars.
- Is the 1877-S 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 1877 Seated Liberty Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1877 are scarcer?
- The 1873-S, No Arrows at 5,000, the 1878-S at 12,000, the 1873-S, With Arrows at 228,000, plus 4 more. So the 1877-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1877-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar coins were made?
- 5,356,000.
What to check on your 1877-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1877-CC (1.4 million made).
- 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.
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 1877-S
San Francisco made 5,356,000 in 1877, up from 4.5 million in 1876. In 1878 the figure was 12,000.
1877-CC came to 1.4 million and 1877 came to 8.3 million, so neither mint's 1877 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Of the 26 Seated Liberty Half Dollars San Francisco struck between 1855 and 1878, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest San Francisco issue is the 1873-S, No Arrows at 5,000. Within the 1870s it's 29th smallest of 32, between the 1876-S (4.5 million) and the 1875 (6 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 1877
Cent production fell sharply as the economy stayed depressed after the Panic of 1873. The 1877 Indian Head cent has the lowest Philadelphia mintage of the series and is its best-known key date.
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 | 1877 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 5,356,000 |
| 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 1877 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 8,304,510 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1877-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 5,356,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3617 oz |
| 1877-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 1,420,000 | 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.