1853 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1853 Liberty Head $5 half eagle gold coins were produced at the Philadelphia, Charlotte (C), and Dahlonega (D) mints, meaning there are three basic kinds of 1853 half eagles. As of this writing, there are no significant die varieties, meaning collectors generally focus on collecting these 1853 gold coins based on their mint of origin. All 1853 Liberty Head $5 gold half eagles are considered quite scarce today, though the Charlotte and Dahlonega gold pieces are much scarcer.

Here is a look at the mintages and values for 1853 $5 half eagle gold coins:

• 1853, 305,770 minted; $860

• 1853-C 65,571; $2,000

• 1853-D, 89,678; $2,000

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine 20.

Christian Gobrecht, designer of the silver Seated Liberty coins from the 19th century, designed the 1853 Liberty Head half eagles. As these coins have a pre-Civil War vintage and are quite scarce in the overall sense, these old Liberty Head $5 gold coins are historically significant and carry lofty price premiums, which are much higher than the intrinsic gold content; 1853 $5 gold coins contain 0.24187 net ounces of pure gold, weigh a total of 8.359 grams, and measure 21.6 millimeters in diameter.