1888 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1888 Liberty Head half eagles were made at the Philadelphia and San Francisco (S) mints. Yet, both mints combined were able to strike more than 3.5 million pieces, which was still more than the previous three years worth of $5 gold coin production combined.

Here’s a look at the mintages and values of 1888 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1888, 18,201 minted; $772

• 1888-S, 293,900; $772

• 1888 proof, 95; $13,500

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

It’s interesting to note two things about the 1888 Philadelphia mintage; for one, it is much lower than the San Francisco output. Perhaps the most important thing from the academic perspective, though is the listed value for that coin. At $400, the Philadelphia coin has the same approximate value in Very Fine 20 as the 1888-S $5 gold coin, which was produced in much higher numbers. While relative supply and demand strongly dictates a coin’s value, it may also suggest that the two coins are available in roughly the same numbers. It’s the case that only a tiny fraction of most pre-1933 U.S. gold coinage still exists, a situation mostly caused by melting. It should be noted here that 1888 $5 Liberty Head gold coins, designed by Christian Gobrecht, contain 0.24187 ounces of gold.