1873 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1873 Liberty Head $5 half eagle gold coins were made at the Philadelphia, San Carson City (CC), and San Francisco (S) mints. Perhaps the most important numismatic note regarding 1873 Liberty Head half eagles is the fact that two different varieties exist for that year’s Philadelphia output. These variations concern the shape of the digit “3” in the date (1873).

The earlier variety shows what most numismatists regard as an “close 3,” or more less spacing between the points on the left side of the digit; the “open 3” variety shows more spacing between those same points on the “3.” As indicated below, the mintage figures for the 1873 “close 3” and “open 3” varieties are virtually identical and remain available in roughly equal numbers today.

Here’s a look at the mintages and values of 1873 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1873 close 3, 112,480; $860

• 1873 open 3, 112,505; $860

• 1873-CC, 7,416; $7,500

• 1873-S, 31,000; $860

• 1873 proof, 25; $22,500

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

The mintage figures above don’t really reflect the number of surviving coins today, a fact especially seen with the 1873-CC half eagle, which is now considerably rare. This is due to the fact that Carson City gold coins weren’t saved in large numbers – many were lost to attrition in circulation, though many others were melted. This is not surprising, as 1873 gold half eagles contain a net total of 0.24187 ounces pure gold per coin. Still, 1873 Liberty Head $5 gold half eagles, designed by Christian Gobrecht, are much more valuable as numismatic coins than bullion pieces.