1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle Value

A 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle is worth roughly $826 to $8,103 depending on its condition; the melt floor under every example is $810 (spot prices as of 2026-06-01) Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.

Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.

1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle value by grade

1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle value by grade
GradeEstimated value
Melt value floor(metal content, 2026-06-01)$810.26
Good (G-4)$826 to $1,094
Very Good (VG-8)$826 to $1,134
Fine (F-12)$826 to $1,195
Very Fine (VF-20)$882 to $1,296
Extremely Fine (XF-40)$999 to $1,469
About Uncirculated (AU-50)$1,205 to $1,772
Mint State (MS-60)$1,515 to $2,228
Choice Unc (MS-63)$2,066 to $3,038
Gem Unc (MS-65)$5,510 to $8,103

Estimated retail range, updated 2026-06-13. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.

How much is a 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle worth today?

At the entry level, well-worn examples bring about $826. The same coin in gem uncirculated condition is a $8,103 coin. Grade is everything: two examples of the 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle can differ in price by an order of magnitude based purely on preservation.

1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle specifications

Series
Liberty Head Half Eagle
Year
1843
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
90% gold, 10% copper
Weight
8.359 g
Diameter
21.6 mm
Edge
Reeded
Designer
Christian Gobrecht
Gold content
0.24187 troy oz

No mint mark? Here is why

The 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which used no mint mark in this era. If you find no letter where branch-mint coins carry one (On the reverse, below the eagle), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.

What makes the 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle valuable

Documented examples of the 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.

Each 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle holds 0.2419 troy ounces of gold, worth $810 at current spot prices. Gold content dominates the value of common dates and underwrites every numismatic premium above it.

The series itself does some of the lifting for the 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle: coin struck at all seven historic mints, including the short-lived Southern gold mints at Charlotte and Dahlonega. Broad, multigenerational demand for the design gives every date, including this one, a deep and liquid market.

1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle inscriptions & design

Obverse

***************** (date)

coronet head l.

Reverse

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FIVE D.

eagle, head l.

Measured 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle specimens

7 physically measured 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 8.359 g, 21.6 mm minting standard.

Measured 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle #18.309 g22 mm-Friedberg.USA.138, Breen.6543
1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle #28.277 g21.5 mm-Friedberg.USA.140, Breen.6544
1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle #34.994 g---
1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle #45.541 g22 mm-Friedberg.USA.138ctft, Breen.6543ctft
1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle #54.828 g22 mm-Friedberg.USA.140ctft, Breen.6546ctft
1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle #63.71 g22 mm-Friedberg.USA.140ctft, Breen.6546ctft
1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle #75.45 g23 mm6 hBreen.6543

Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.

Summary: the 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle is valued between $826 and $8,103 as of 2026-06-13. Estimates combine mintage rarity, key-date status and metal content; they are editorial guidance, not an offer to buy.