1861 Liberty Head Half Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1861 Liberty Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Liberty Head Half Eagles 1839-1908 series — 23rd of 70 years in the series. In 1861, coins were struck at the Dahlonega, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Charlotte Mints with a combined mintage of 714,626. This ranks 44th of 70 years by total mintage, above the series median of 360,195. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Charlotte and Dahlonega mints ceased operations due to the Civil War, ending Southern branch mint gold coinage. Struck in gold, weighing 8.36 grams, 21.65 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.4K to $314K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $336K in MS63 grade at Stack's Bowers. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
Specifications
Strike Types & Varieties(5)
1861 (C) Liberty Head Half Eagle
1861 (D) Liberty Head Half Eagle
1861 (S) Liberty Head Half Eagle
1861 Liberty Head Half Eagle
1861 Proof Liberty Head Half Eagle
Other Base Coins in This Series
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