#1 Liberty Seated Half Dollar Buyer Las Vegas & Henderson

History

The Seated Liberty half dollar was a long and popular series beginning in 1839 and continuing to 1891. These half dollars were minted in the Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, New Orleans and Carson City mints. The obverse of the coin displays an image of Lady Liberty in a seated position, (hence the name), on top of a rock. In her left hand is a pole with a Phrygian cap on top. Her right hand is on top of a shield with a banner that says “Liberty”. The reverse of the coin displays an eagle with wings outspread and a shield on its chest. The eagle is clutching arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. The mint-marks are situated below the eagle. The Seated Liberty half dollar weighed 13.36 grams from 1839 to 1853, 12.44 grams from 1853 to 1873 and 12.5 grams from 1873 until the end of the series in 1891. The fineness of silver remained constant at 90%, but differed in amount consistent with the weight of the coin. The diameter of all Liberty Seated half dollars remained the same at 30.6 mm.

Value

The Liberty Seated half dollars are a very popular series among collectors due to the great diversity of ways they can be collected. A complete date and mint set would be a daunting undertaking for any but the most serious and well financed collector. However, within the over fifty year span of the series there are many ways to collect. Along with date and mint-mark, there are also five distinct varieties as well as numerous unique periods of history. Many of the most important periods in American history are represented in this series, from the California gold rush era to the Civil War and continuing through the western expansion of the United States, the cowboy era of the old west and the beginnings of the Industrial Age. While many of the Seated Liberty half dollars were minted in the millions, there are several that are quite scarce with only a few thousand minted, (and fewer still surviving to today. There are therefore many coins that have significant value as semi-key and key date coins.

Most common dates in the series in average circulated condition are worth between $40 and $50 but increase in value to over $1,000 for high mint state specimens. There are however significant rarities that can be worth in the tens of thousands of dollars, (most notably the Carson City issues) as well as the extremely rare 1878 S, that can exceed $100,000.

In Summary

Because there are so many varied opinions on the condition (or grade) of a coin, the aforementioned values reflect the highest retail prices that have been obtained for those coins that have been assessed by a third party grading company. Such coins have been authenticated, graded and encapsulated by expert coin grading companies to minimize any doubt as to their quality and value and therefore their potential worth.

Since these coins have a high silver content, they are referred to as “constitutional” silver and unfortunately, raw, ungraded examples have been sold and melted down just for the silver content. This circumstance would be highly unfortunate due to the rarity and historical significance of these coins to collectors.

We Buy Seated Liberty Half Dollars

We want to buy your coins and as a business it is our pledge to offer you the best value for your coins, however, always remember that the prices you may find online or in price guides usually represent the highest retail value for the coin in an already certified condition. As a trusted dealer we will have our coin specialists evaluate your coins at no cost and offer you a price that is both fair for you, but that also allows us to realize a reasonable profit.