1895 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1895 Liberty Head half eagles were made at just the Philadelphia and San Francisco (S) mints, with the Philadelphia Mint making the lion’s share of that year’s $5 gold coin output. For the most part, 1895 half eagles are considered common, though they should not necessarily be regarded as bullion coins. All pre-1933 U.S. gold coins are scarce as they were melted in huge quantities in the 1930s and thereafter.

Here’s a glance at the mintages and values of 1886 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1895, 1,345,855 minted; $769

• 1895-S, 112,000; $769

• 1895 proof; 81; $12,500

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

Numismatists should bear in mind that the mintage figures listed above do not in any way translate to modern-day population counts. Today, only a fraction of the coins reflected in the mintages above still exist, though there are generally ample around today to meet current demand.

Christian Gobrecht designed 1895 Liberty Head half eagles, which measure 21.6 millimeters wide and contain 0.24187 ounces of gold. As an interesting aside for numismatists in particular, Gobrecht also designed the silver Seated Liberty coinage that was in production from the late 1830s through the early 1890s.