1878 United States 1/2 Dollar Value
A 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar is worth roughly $14.14 to $153 depending on its condition, with a hard melt-value floor of $14.14 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.
Melt estimated at the US 0.900 silver standard.
1878 United States 1/2 Dollar value by grade
| Grade | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| Melt value floor(metal content, 2026-06-01) | $14.14 |
| Good (G-4) | $14.14 to $16.96 |
| Very Good (VG-8) | $14.14 to $17.47 |
| Fine (F-12) | $14.14 to $18.32 |
| Very Fine (VF-20) | $14.14 to $19.51 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $15.62 to $22.05 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $19.22 to $27.14 |
| Mint State (MS-60) | $26.43 to $37.32 |
| Choice Unc (MS-63) | $42.05 to $59.37 |
| Gem Unc (MS-65) | $108 to $153 |
Estimated retail range, updated 2026-06-15. 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 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar worth today?
At the entry level, well-worn examples bring about $14.14. The same coin in gem uncirculated condition is a $153 coin. Grade is everything: two examples of the 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar can differ in price by an order of magnitude based purely on preservation.
1878 United States 1/2 Dollar specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1878
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Silver
- Weight
- 13.384 g
- Diameter
- 32 mm
- Silver content
- 0.38727 troy oz
Why this coin has no mint mark
The 1878 United States 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.
What makes the 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar valuable
Documented examples of the 1878 United States 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.
A 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar is real bullion as well as a collectible: 0.3873 troy ounces of fine silver, or about $14.14 of metal value in every example, regardless of condition.
The series itself does some of the lifting for the 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar: Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. Broad, multigenerational demand for the design gives every date, including this one, a deep and liquid market.
1878 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, motto on scroll above
Measured 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens
5 physically measured 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 13.384 g, 32 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar #1 | 13.384 g | 32 mm | - | - |
| 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar #2 | 11.22 g | 32 mm | 6 h | - |
| 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar #3 | - | - | - | Breen.5023 |
| 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar #4 | - | - | - | Breen.5025 |
| 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar #5 | 13.989 g | 30.5 mm | 6 h | - |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.
Summary: the 1878 United States 1/2 Dollar is valued between $14.14 and $153 as of 2026-06-15. Estimates combine mintage rarity, key-date status and metal content; they are editorial guidance, not an offer to buy.