1787 United States 1/2 Dollar Value

Today a 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar typically sells for its melt value to well into four figures, with condition doing most of the work. Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.

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

1787 United States 1/2 Dollar value by grade

1787 United States 1/2 Dollar value by grade
GradeEstimated value

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

Current 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar value

The market for the 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar is driven by condition above all.

1787 United States 1/2 Dollar specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1787
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Brass
Weight
13.315 g
Diameter
32 mm

Why this coin has no mint mark

Philadelphia struck the 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar, and Philadelphia coins of this period carry no mint mark at all. An empty space at the usual mint mark position (see the series guide) confirms a Philadelphia strike, not a flaw.

What makes the 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar valuable

The 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar lacks precise production records, so its value rests on demonstrated rarity: how often examples surface at auction and how they compare to documented specimens.

Context adds the final layer to the 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. Owning this date means owning a piece of that story, and demand for the series as a whole sustains liquidity for every issue in it.

1787 United States 1/2 Dollar inscriptions & design

Obverse

LIBERTY 1787

Liberty head r., hair flowing

Reverse

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

eagle, wings spread, head l.

Measured 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens

2 physically measured 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 13.315 g, 32 mm minting standard.

Measured 1787 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1787 United States 1/2 Dollar #113.315 g32 mm--
1787 United States 1/2 Dollar #2-32 mm--

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