1882 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1882 Liberty Head $5 half eagle gold coins were struck at the Philadelphia, Carson City (CC), and San Francisco (S) mints. The Philadelphia mint was by far the largest producer of 1882 $5 gold coins than either Carson City or San Francisco mints, though both the Philadelphia and San Francisco issues seem to appear in fairly equal numbers. In usual fashion, the Carson City issue has the lowest original mintage and is far scarcer than that figure would suggest today.

Here’s a rundown of the mintages and values of 1882 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1882, 2,514,520 minted; $788

• 1882-CC, 82,817; $1,445

• 1882-S, 969,000; $788

• 1882 proof, 48; $15,500

*Values are for coins grading Very Fine 20 unless otherwise stated.

It is relatively easy to find 1882 half eagles, especially given the Philadelphia Mint’s large output of $5 gold coins during that year. 1880s gold half eagles are generally plentiful given the current demand. Usually, Liberty Head half eagles, which were designed by Christian Gobrecht, can be found at coin shops and coin shows, though they sometimes turn up at jewelry shops and cash-for-gold outlets. While many people regard Liberty Head $5 gold coins as a bullion investment (as they contain 0.24187 ounces of gold), they are still largely categorized as numismatic collectibles given their overall scarceness.