1871 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1871 Liberty Head $5 half eagle gold coins were produced at the Philadelphia, San Francisco (S), and Carson City (CC) mints. Of these three mints, the branch facilities of Carson City and San Francisco would produce larger quantities of the 1871 half eagle than did Philadelphia.

Here’s a look at the mintages and values of 1871 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1871, 3,200 minted; $1,200

• 1871-CC, 20,770; $5,000

• 1871-S, 25,000; $982

• 1871 proof, 30; $25,000

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

It’s important to that the mintage figures above don’t come close to reflecting the current surviving populations of the various 1871 half eagles; this is particularly true for the 1871-CC half eagle, which is now exceedingly rare. While natural attrition tends to thin the population of older coinage, silver and especially gold coins were melted in huge numbers, resulting in major population losses over the years. For the record, 1871 half eagles contain a net total of 0.24187 ounces pure gold per coin, a substantial amount indeed. Still, 1871 Liberty Head $5 gold half eagles, designed by Chief Engraver of the United States Mint Christian Gobrecht, are much more valuable as numismatic coins than bullion pieces.