1831 United States 1/2 cent Value

Depending on how well it survived, a 1831 United States 1/2 cent brings anywhere from its melt value to well into four figures. See the grade table below for exactly where your coin falls.

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

1831 United States 1/2 cent value by grade

1831 United States 1/2 cent 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.

What is a 1831 United States 1/2 cent worth right now?

The market for the 1831 United States 1/2 cent is driven by condition above all.

1831 United States 1/2 cent specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1831
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Copper
Weight
5.49 g
Diameter
23 mm

No mint mark? Here is why

No mint mark is the mark here: the 1831 United States 1/2 cent comes from the main Philadelphia Mint, which left its coins unlettered in this era. The position where branch mints placed their letter (varies by series) is simply blank.

What makes the 1831 United States 1/2 cent valuable

Without a firm mintage figure, the 1831 United States 1/2 cent trades on what actually turns up. Documented museum specimens give collectors a benchmark for authenticity and typical preservation.

Context adds the final layer to the 1831 United States 1/2 cent. 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.

1831 United States 1/2 cent inscriptions & design

Obverse

LIBERTY [on head band] / (date)

Liberty bust left, surrounded by 13 stars

Reverse

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / HALF / CENT

Value in wreath

Measured 1831 United States 1/2 cent specimens

4 physically measured 1831 United States 1/2 cent examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 5.49 g, 23 mm minting standard.

Measured 1831 United States 1/2 cent specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1831 United States 1/2 cent #1---Gilbert.1831.1a, Breen.1570
1831 United States 1/2 cent #26.47 g--Gilbert.1831 (fake)
1831 United States 1/2 cent #35.49 g23.5 mm-Gilbert.1834.1altered, Breen.1574altered
1831 United States 1/2 cent #4-23 mm-Gilbert.1831 (fake)

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