1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar Value
A 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar is worth roughly its melt value to well into four figures depending on its condition. Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar value by grade
| Grade | Estimated 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.
How much is a 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar worth today?
Pricing for the 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar depends on grade and current collector demand.
1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1796
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Gold
- Weight
- 4.482 g
- Diameter
- 21 mm
Why this coin has no mint mark
The 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar 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 (check the usual position for this series), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.
The value drivers behind this coin
There is history in a 1796 United States Coinage as well. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. That backdrop keeps the series among the most actively collected in American numismatics.
Documented examples of the 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.
1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar inscriptions & design
Obverse
LIBERTY 1796
capped bust r.
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
eagle, facing l. 16 stars and clouds above
Measured 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar specimens
4 physically measured 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 4.482 g, 21 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar #1 | - | - | - | Friedberg.USA.105, Breen.6113 |
| 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar #2 | - | - | - | Friedberg.USA.105, Breen.6113 |
| 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar #3 | 4.482 g | 30 mm | - | Friedberg.USA.105 (fake), Breen.6113 (fake) |
| 1796 United States 2 1/2 Dollar #4 | 4.516 g | 21 mm | - | Breen.6114 (fake) |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.