1889 United States 1/2 Dollar Value

The 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar carries a current retail range of about its melt value to well into four figures across circulated and Mint State grades. Where your coin lands depends on wear, strike and surface quality.

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

1889 United States 1/2 Dollar value by grade

1889 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 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar

Pricing for the 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar depends on grade and current collector demand.

1889 United States 1/2 Dollar specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1889
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Silver

Why there is no letter on this coin

Look for a letter and you will not find one. The 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar is a Philadelphia product, and the main mint did not sign its work at this time.

What makes the 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar valuable

Documented examples of the 1889 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.

Context adds the final layer to the 1889 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.

1889 United States 1/2 Dollar inscriptions & design

Obverse

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

Liberty seated

Reverse

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; HALF DOL.

eagle, wings spread, shield on breast, motto on scroll above

Measured 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens

1 physically measured 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar example in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the g, mm minting standard.

Measured 1889 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1889 United States 1/2 Dollar #1---Breen.5039

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