1938 United States 1/2 Dollar Value
Depending on how well it survived, a 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar brings anywhere from its melt value to well into four figures. See the grade table below for exactly where your coin falls.
1938 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.
Current 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar value
The market for the 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar is driven by condition above all.
1938 United States 1/2 Dollar specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1938
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Silver
No mint mark? Here is why
Philadelphia struck the 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar, and Philadelphia coins of this period carry no mint mark at all. An empty space at the usual mint mark position (see the series guide) confirms a Philadelphia strike, not a flaw.
Why the 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar is worth money
Official mintage figures for the 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar are not well established. The museum-documented specimens behind our specifications provide the physical reference points for the issue, and the market prices it on observed scarcity.
Context adds the final layer to the 1938 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.
1938 United States 1/2 Dollar inscriptions & design
Obverse
SETTLED 1688 INCORPORATED 1899 / NEW ROCHELLE NEW YORK
John Pell (colonial) and a calf
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / E PLURIBUS UNUM LIBERTY IN GOD WE TRUST / 1938 / HALF DOLLAR
fleur de lis
Measured 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar specimens
12 physically measured 1938 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #1 | - | - | - | Breen.7562 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #2 | - | - | - | Breen.7562 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #3 | - | - | - | Breen.7528 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #4 | - | - | - | Breen.7529 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #5 | - | - | - | Breen.7530 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #6 | - | - | - | Breen.7498 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #7 | - | - | - | Breen.7499 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #8 | - | - | - | Breen.7500 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #9 | - | - | - | Breen.7476 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #10 | - | - | - | Breen.7477 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #11 | - | - | - | Breen.7478 |
| 1938 United States 1/2 Dollar #12 | - | - | - | Breen.7511 |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.