1876 Half Eagle Patterns

About This Coin

Produced during America's centennial year at the Philadelphia Mint, the 1876 Half Eagle Patterns from the Metric & Stella Patterns (1874-1879) series brought the metric coinage experimentation to the five-dollar gold denomination. These patterns emerged from a congressional initiative to align American coinage with European metric currency standards, driven by growing international trade volume. The obverse features experimental designs connected to the Stella program, including Liberty portraits with flowing hair or coiled hair — the two competing artistic visions that defined the series. The reverse incorporates the distinctive five-pointed star containing the denomination FOUR DOL. Designed by Charles E. Barber (Flowing Hair) and George T. Morgan (Coiled Hair), the 1876 Half Eagle Patterns showcase two approaches that would prove defining for American coinage — Barber's restrained classicism and Morgan's dynamic naturalism. For pattern collectors, the centennial-year half eagle patterns represent an intersection of artistic ambition and monetary policy innovation, produced when the nation was celebrating its first century and debating the future of its currency.