1839 United States 1/2 Dollar Value

A 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar is worth roughly its melt value to well into four figures depending on its condition. The figures below break the range down grade by grade.

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

1839 United States 1/2 Dollar value by grade

1839 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.

Today's value of the 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar

The market for the 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar is driven by condition above all.

1839 United States 1/2 Dollar specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1839
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Silver

The missing mint mark, explained

No mint mark is the mark here: the 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar 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 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar valuable

Context adds the final layer to the 1839 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.

Without a firm mintage figure, the 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar trades on what actually turns up. Documented museum specimens give collectors a benchmark for authenticity and typical preservation.

1839 United States 1/2 Dollar inscriptions & design

Obverse

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

Liberty seated

Reverse

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; HALF DOL.

eagle, shield on breast, holding branch and arrows

Measured 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens

3 physically measured 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the g, mm minting standard.

Measured 1839 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1839 United States 1/2 Dollar #1---Breen.4743
1839 United States 1/2 Dollar #2---Breen.4739
1839 United States 1/2 Dollar #3---Breen.4745

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