The Top 10 Half Dollars Worth Money

Have you ever looked at your change and wondered if there are any half dollars worth money? Fifty-cent coins, or half dollar coins, are not something collectors come across every day anymore. United States half dollars have been out of regular circulation since 2002, which makes these coins are a great addition to any collection!

Introduced in 1794, the U.S. half dollars are large coins. Half Dollars made before 1965 were nearly full silver. But now, these coins haven't been produced with silver since the early 1970s.

Half dollars are the largest coin the U.S. Mint has ever produced. Most of these coins are now housed in Federal Reserve vaults, so finding one for your collection is something every coin hunter would like to do.

This list includes everything important to know about what makes half dollars worth money and the most expensive coins out there!

What Makes Half Dollars Worth Money?

Since modern fifty-cent coins are only produced for collections and not for circulation, this automatically adds intrigue to  collecting older versions of these coins. The pre-1970s half dollars were struck with 40-90% pure silver, a precious metal. This also helps make some half dollars worth money.

The value of a half dollar coin will depend on a few factors.

To determine a  coin's value, rarity must be taken into account. Finding out how many of these coins exist in the world determines if it is rare. A coin's mintage is the number that was produced in its series, but this number will not necessarily determine its rarity because coins can be taken out of circulation and melted down.

Next in the value scale is a coin's condition, and like-new coins are worth more than worn or damaged ones. An 11-point scale is used to grade half dollars from "poor" to "mint-state". Its condition also includes the metal's tone.

Coins made with variations or a mistake during the minting process are rare and often have a high collection value. Coins with errors are especially rare because there are very few in circulation.

Here are three half dollars that don't quite meet the top ten half dollars worth money but are interesting for their important history.

1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollars

The Flowing Hair half dollars were the first fifty-cent coins ever produced. These coins are composed of 89% silver and 11% copper. They don't include a numerical denomination, so the large size of the coin indicates it is a half dollar.

Lady Liberty, with her long, flowing hair adorns the front of the coin. Fifteen stars surround her, which represent the fifteen states that had endorsed the Constitution.

The word LIBERTY sits above her head, while 1794 is below her bust. The back of the coin sports an eagle surrounded by a wreath.

Produced in Philadelphia at the first mint in the United States. Coins out of this mint bear no distinguishing mint mark, like the James Barton Indian Head Penny.

This coin has always held a high value. Even back in the 1880s, it was reported to have been worth $50. These coins were only produced for two years, with 23,464 coins put into circulation.

Robert Scot, originally from Scotland, came to the U.S. and settled in Philadelphia. He became the first Chief Engraver at the U.S. Mint, and designed the Flowing Hair coin. This design used the Spanish silver coin, known as the Silver Real, to model off of.

A mint-state, 1794 Flowing Hair half dollar has a value of $82,428 today.

1872 CC Seated Liberty Half Dollars

Produced at the Carson City Mint, this 1872-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar coin bears a CC mintmark. This half dollar is composed or 90% silver and 10% copper.

It shows Lady Liberty seated on the front, holding a staff and Union shield. Her shield, adorned with LIBERTY and the familiar stripes, sits below her. Above her is thirteen stars and below is the year.

The back of the coin states UNITED STATES OF AMERICA above a ribbon with "In God We Trust". An eagle wears the same shield as Lady Liberty, while it clutches an olive branch and three arrows. This coin has the denomination under the eagle.

Christian Gobrecht designed this coin and the highest valued specimen sits at $82,466 today, so this half dollar is definitely worth money!

1812 Capped Bust: 2 Over 1 Large 8

These coins are special because there were two variations produced and both had a date error. The number "2" in the date was struck over a number "1", resulting in both numbers being visible. The two variations also have a size difference in the number "8", with the larger "8" being more valuable.

These coins contain 89% silver and 11% copper.

Lady Liberty on the front of the coin wears a LIBERTY cap, her long wavy hair falls to her shoulders and the date is below her bust. Thirteen stars surround her.

The back of the coin says UNITED STATES OF AMERICA above a ribbon of "e pluribus unum" (Latin for the U.S. motto, "out of many, one"). An eagle with the Union shield holds an olive branch and the three arrows, the same as the CC Seated Liberty coin.

Designed by John Reich, these coins came from the Philadelphia mint. Reich also designed the famous 1808 Large Cent, made of 100% pure copper.

The highest value of an 1812 Capped Bust half dollar is $87,642.

Top 10 Most Expensive Half Dollars Worth Money

Next is the list of coins that are the rarest and valuable  U.S. half dollars worth money that exist in Federal Reserves and private collections. Most of these coins have unique features such as low mintage numbers or have cast errors.

The evolution of the designs of the eagle and Lady Liberty are interesting to note. Read on to discover the distinguishing marks of these historic pieces.

Here is the countdown of the top 10!

10. 1870-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar

Image credit: PCGS

Coming in at #10 on our list of half dollars worth money is the 1870-CC  Seated Liberty Half Dollar. The Carson City mint produced many seated Lady Liberty half dollars, not very different from each other. The 1870 version is 90% silver and 10% copper and differs from the 1872 coin in mintage.

The U.S. Mint made only 54,617 of these coins in 1870, compared to 27,000 in 1972.

Christian Gobrecht designed this coin as well. It bears the CC mark of the Carson City mint under the eagle's olive branch.

The value of a mint-state 1870 CC Seated Liberty coin is $167,114!

9. 1878-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar

Image credit: PCGS

Christian Gobrecht also designed this version of Seated Liberty coins. She is engraved in the same pose as both the 1870 and 1872 coins, holding the staff and Union shield. This is a 90% silver and 10% copper coin.

The mint made only 12,000 of the S Seated Liberty half dollars, which makes these coins quite rare.

On the back of the coin, under the eagle's feet is the letter "S". This is the mark of the San Francisco Mint and gives the S in its name.

The San Francisco Mint is also famous for producing the scandalous 1909 VDB Penny. A public uproar surrounded the design of the VDB penny. Victor David Brenner, the designer of the Wheat Cent added his initials to the back of the coin, rather than the mint mark.

So, is this half dollar worth money? Well, he value of an untouched San Francisco Seated Liberty half dollar is $178,027!

8. 1806 Draped Bust: Knobbed 6

Image credit: PCGS

Robert Scot designed a couple of variations of the 1806 half dollar. The "knobbed 6" version of this half dollar refers to the date on the front of the coin. This number "6" has a curved tip rather than a pointed tip at the top of the six.

This looks like a serif font rather than a non-serif font.

The 1806  Draped Bust coin with the knobbed "6" also has a variation on the back. The eagle, splayed out in flight, holds the Union shield and grasps a bundle of many arrows in one foot and an olive branch in the other.

The variation is in the details of the olive branch. The stem does not go through the clutched eagle's foot and this makes this coin extremely valuable because most coins have the olive branch extending through the whole foot.

According to Al C. Overton, this combination of design die-cast is so rare that only seven exist, that historians are aware of!

This coin also includes the U.S. motto in a banner across the eagle's chest. There are thirteen stars above the eagle's head, and what appear to be clouds. Produced out of Philadelphia, it is 89% silver and 11% copper.

The Philadelphia mint is where Peter the Eagle is displayed. This is the eagle that inspired both Christian Gobrecht and James Barton Longacre in their coin designs, including Longacre's famous Flying Eagle Cent. The famous now-stuffed eagle served as a model for these valuable coins.

There are no mint-state 1806 Draped Bust half dollars with the knobbed "6". The closest grade is Extremely Fine, and these run for $179,133. Even a good rated half dollar is worth money; you can buy this coin in good condition for a whopping $44,454.

7. 1817 Capped Bust: 7 Over 4

The 1817  Capped Bust half dollar that is a particularly interesting half dollar worth money, as it has an engraving error with the date. An "overdate" coin is when a number is struck over an incorrect one. In this case, a "7" struck over a "4".

Mints would reuse dies by replacing the last digit of the date, making an "overdate".

You can see a slight "4" under the "7" but it isn't raised like the other numbers. They minted only eight coins with this mistake, making this coin extremely rare and valuable.

The "7 over 4" coin consists of 89% silver and 11% copper. With a lettered edge, this coin is larger than the minted reed edge design from between 1836-1839.

John Reich designed this coin and produced it at the Philadelphia Mint. Reich, born in Bavaria, immigrated to the U.S. as a young man. He then became the assistant engraver of Robert Scot. His Capped Bust Lady Liberty replaced Scot's Draped Bust designs.

There are no uncirculated, mint-state coins for the 1817 Capped Bust half dollars. About Circulated graded coins are valued at $389,716. A coin given a Good grade might run for around $66,714. This is a very rare coin.

6. 1796 Draped Bust: 15 Stars

Image credit: PCGS

Robert Scot designed this  Draped Bust half dollar, produced at the Philadelphia Mint. An 89% silver and 11% copper coin, it features Lady Liberty facing to the right, with her flowing hair behind her.

Fifteen stars circle her with LIBERTY stamped between them. The year, 1796, is nestled below her bust. Only 3,918 coins exist from this minting, making this half dollar worth money due to its rarity.

The other Draped Bust half dollars produced in 1796 include sixteen stars.

The back of this half dollar has a familiar eagle, but this eagle is small and in flight. The words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA run along the edge of the coin. A wreath surrounds the small eagle, with the bow that ties it together under its feet.

A stamp of the fraction of 1/2 sits under the wreath to indicate this is a half dollar.

Even a poor quality specimen of this coin will fetch $20,000. The value of an uncirculated, mint-state 1796 Draped Bust with fifteen stars sits at almost half a million dollars. Some have sold for $429,385!

5. 1839 Capped Bust: Small Reverse Letters

Image credit: PCGS

To start the top five of the most valuable half dollars worth money is an 1839  Capped Bust with small lettering on the reverse side. These small letters consist of the bold UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOL. The design struck letters in a smaller font than other coins in the same period.

The spacing of the letters is tighter compared to the more common and usual design. The HALF DOL denomination is also further away from the border than the larger font variation. This font is longer and thinner than the familiar font used.

On the 1839 small letter coin, the eagle bears the Union shield but it appears to be of a much smaller size than the shield on the larger font coin. This may be due to the condensed size of the eagle to fit within the tighter lettering.

Coin designed by Christian Gobrecht and minted in Philadelphia, these half dollars are 90% silver and 10% copper. There is only one in mint-state known to exist. It is unknown what the mintage for this coin is.

The highest value for the non-circulated, mint-state coin is $501,012. There are no Good or Very Good graded coins in existence. The lowest grade is Fine, with a value of $44,462. So, this is definitely one of the top half dollars worth money of all time!

4. 1796 Draped Bust: 16 Stars

Image credit: PCGS

Like the coin that made the number six spot for the most expensive  United States half dollars worth money, the Draped Bust sixteen star coin is also extremely rare.

Assumed among coin historians, the additional star came after Tennessee became the sixteenth state on June 1, 1796. But, without formal documentation, this is only a guess.

The reverse of the coin also has a small eagle with a fraction of 1/2 under the border of a wreath, like the version with fifteen stars.

Composed of 89% silver and 11% copper, and also created by Robert Scot out of Philadelphia, the U.S. Mint produced only 3,918 of these coins.

Philadelphia has a deep history in coin creation. Benjamin Franklin designed the first penny in this city. Along with many of the coins listed here, the Philadelphia Mint produced the recognizable Lincoln cent in 1909.

The most valuable 1796 Draped Bust half dollar with sixteen stars lists at over half a million dollars. This coin sits at $537,559. A good specimen will sell for around $40,361.

3. 1853 O Seated Liberty: No Arrows or Rays

Image credit: PCGS

With only four of these coins minted, these are extremely rare and valuable half dollars worth a lot of money. A coin of 90% silver and 10% copper, Lady Liberty sits on the front with her staph and Union shield. Thirteen stars surround her and the date stamp sits below.

Coin historians and collectors were unaware of these coins until the end of the 19th century.

In 1853, a change occurred in the production of half dollars. The government-mandated silver content to be lowered in coin money, except for in the silver dollar. To distinguish this change, coin designs added arrows at the date on the front of the coin, and placed rays around the eagle on the back.

But before they ratified the Mint Act of 1853, old dies arrived at the New Orleans mint. This design is what became engraved onto the few O  Seated Liberty half dollars.

More of these Christian Gobrecht-designed coins may exist, kept in private collections that historians are unaware of. In 2012, collectors found the most recent discovery of an O Seated Liberty.

All four half dollars that historians know about show significant wear. The highest valued coin lists at $537,724. The lowest is still a very valuable half dollar worth $214,093.

2. 1838 O Capped Bust Half Dollar

Image credit: PCGS

Another half dollar produced at the New Orleans mint makes the top three of the most expensive half dollars worth money! With a mintage of only twenty, this 1838 coin is 90% silver and 10% copper.

As one of the first coins produced at the New Orleans Mint, this coin served as a kind of practice run. The New Orleans equipment showed trouble with reliability issues and needed adjustments before the mint could run at full capacity. For that reason, a run of this cast was not produced.

The O Capped half dollar is very valuable for its scarcity. With the equipment problems at the New Orleans Mint, they produced no half dollars in 1838. They used old dies to create these proof coins in early 1839. Historians believe that only nine coins exist today.

A  Christian Gobrecht design, Lady Liberty wears her LIBERTY cap, facing toward the left side of the coin. Thirteen stars circle her bust, with the year below. Struck between Lady Liberty and the date sits the letter "O", the mark of New Orleans.

On the reverse, a large eagle bears the Union shield and clutches three arrows and an olive branch. HALF DOL. is struck to show the coin's denomination.

The proof coins that stayed protected within the Reserve show a value of $844,640. Since none of these coins ever hit circulation, the lowest grading is Extremely Fine, valued at $366,214. But what half dollar coin is worth the most money? 

1. 1797 Draped Bust: 15 Stars, Small Eagle

Image credit: PCGS

Now, the most expensive  United States half dollar coin worth money is finally revealed! This 1979 coin is a Robert Scot design that bears no mint mark from Philadelphia. It consists of 89% silver and 11% copper.

The combined mintage of 1796 and 1797 Draped Bust half dollars was only 3,918 coins. There were no half dollars produced again until 1801.

The Draped Bust design of Lady Liberty came after the Flowing Hair half dollars, minted between 1794-1795. The more serious and mature pose of Draped Lady Liberty replaced the youthful Flowing Hair version. Early coin designs underwent many changes as the new U.S. Mint experimented on their defining looks.

What distinguishes the eagle on the reverse side of this 50 cent coin as "small" is only because it takes up less space than the later Heraldic eagle designs.

Due to the scarcity and the fact that historians believe no proofs of this series exist, the value of a 1797 Draped Bust half dollar is extraordinarily high. An uncirculated coin is worth a whopping $1,636,139! For the entry-level coin in Good condition, it shows a value of approximately $37,860. 

So, were you surprised at any of these half dollars worth money? If you're curious about which half dollars are worth money from the modern era, or if you'd like to add more affordable versions of these half dollar coins to your collection, browse our  wide selection of half dollar coins or let Bullion Shark's expert numismatists find the best pieces for your collection today.

Continue Reading:

• Most Valuable Jefferson Nickels Worth Money
• Guide to Collecting Flying Eagle Cents
• 10 Most Valuable Nickels To Collect
• How the Flaw in Buffalo Nickels Launched the Hobo Nickel Movement
• Top 10 Penny Errors To Look For
• What Makes a 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar Rare?

  
  

  FAQ

• What are the most valuable half dollars?
  
  • The most valuable half dollars include the 1797 Draped Bust Half Dollar, the 1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar, and the 1916 Walking Liberty Half Dollar. These coins are prized for their rarity, historical significance, and often their minting errors.
• How can I determine if my half dollar is valuable?
  
  • To determine if your half dollar is valuable, check for its date, mint mark, condition, and any unique features such as minting errors. Professional grading by companies like PCGS or NGC can provide an accurate assessment of its value.
• What mint marks should I look for on valuable half dollars?
  
  • Valuable mint marks on half dollars include the "O" for New Orleans, "CC" for Carson City, "S" for San Francisco, and "D" for Denver. These mint marks can be found on various rare and valuable half dollars, such as the 1838-O and the 1942-D.
• Why are some half dollars worth more than others?
  
  • Some half dollars are worth more due to their rarity, minting errors, historical significance, and condition. Coins with low mintages, unique designs, or those from early years of production are often more valuable to collectors.
• Are Kennedy half dollars worth anything?
  
  • While most Kennedy half dollars minted after 1970 are only worth face value, certain coins, such as those from 1964 (90% silver) and special proof coins, can be worth more due to their silver content and collectible status.
• What are key dates for collecting half dollars?
  
  • Key dates for collecting half dollars include 1794-1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollars, 1836 Reeded Edge Half Dollar, 1916 and 1921 Walking Liberty Half Dollars, and 1955 Franklin Half Dollar. These dates are known for their rarity and higher values.
• What makes a half dollar rare and valuable?
  
  • A half dollar becomes rare and valuable due to factors such as low mintage numbers, minting errors, historical significance, and exceptional condition. Coins with unique designs or from specific mint locations can also be more valuable.
• How can I sell my valuable half dollar?
  
  • You can sell your valuable half dollar through coin dealers like Bullion Shark, or at coin shows. Having your coin graded and authenticated by a professional grading service can help you get the best price.
• Are there any valuable half dollars still in circulation?
  
  • It is unlikely to find valuable half dollars in circulation today, especially those made of silver. However, some Kennedy half dollars from 1964 and certain special mint sets or proof coins can occasionally be found and may be worth more than face value.
• What should I look for in a valuable Walking Liberty Half Dollar?
  
  • When looking for a valuable Walking Liberty Half Dollar, check the date and mint mark, with particular attention to key dates like 1916, 1917 (with mint mark on the obverse), and 1921. Coins in high grades with full details and minimal wear are especially valuable.