1879 Liberty Head Half Eagle
Base
About This Coin
The 1879 Liberty Head Half Eagle is a United States Gold Half Eagle from the Liberty Head Half Eagles 1839-1908 series — 41st of 70 years in the series. In 1879, coins were struck at the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Carson City Mints with a combined mintage of 745,431. This ranks 46th 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. Resumption of specie payments; gold coins re-entered everyday commerce. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 8.36 grams, 21.65 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Produced 10 years before the celebrated 1889 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.3K to $35K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $69K in MS62 grade at Heritage Auctions. 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.
