1863 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1863 Liberty Head $5 half eagle gold coins were struck at only the Philadelphia and San Francisco (S) mints. This is a significant contrast to the situation of earlier years, when other mints, namely the minting facilities in Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans, also struck $5 gold coins. The situation, as many would guess, changed once the Civil War started and geopolitical factors interrupted coinage production at those facilities.

Here’s a glance at the mintages and values of the 1863 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1863, 2,442 minted; $3,500

• 1863-S, 17,000; $3,500

• 1863 proof, 30; $35,000

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine 20 unless otherwise stated.

As a general rule of thumb, mintage figures don’t necessarily correspond or even remotely reflect current population numbers, which are now much lower than the mintages above would probably suggest. All 1863 $5 half eagles are quite scarce and are much more valuable as collectible coins than bullion coins. Still, 1863 half eagles contain a net total of 0.24187 ounces pure gold per coin, which is a substantial figure. As an interesting footnote for coin collectors, Christian Gobrecht designed Liberty Head half eagles. Most numismatists will remember that Gobrecht served as the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint and also designed Seated Liberty silver coinage of the 19th century.