1890 United States 1/2 Dollar Value
In the current market, a 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar changes hands for roughly its melt value at the low end and well into four figures at the top. The figures below break the range down grade by grade.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
1890 United States 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.
What is a 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar worth right now?
Pricing for the 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar depends on grade and current collector demand.
1890 United States 1/2 Dollar specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1890
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Silver
The missing mint mark, explained
The 1890 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.
Why the 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar is worth money
Context adds the final layer to the 1890 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.
For the 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar, surviving examples tell the story that mint records do not. Museum-documented specimens define the issue for collectors.
1890 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 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens
2 physically measured 1890 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.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar #1 | - | - | - | Breen.5040 |
| 1890 United States 1/2 Dollar #2 | - | - | - | - |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.