1902 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1902 Liberty Head half eagles were produced at the Philadelphia and San Francisco (S) mints, which produced more than 1.1 million $5 gold coins combined. While mintages of 1902 Liberty Head half eagles were lower than during the production peaks in the 1880s, overall mintage was strong and even for the most part for the series in the 1900s.

Here’s a look at the mintages and values of 1902 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1902, 172,400 minted; $717

• 1902-S, 939,000; $717

• 1902 proof, 162; $12,500

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

Coin collectors should keep in mind that the production figures listed above do not represent modern-day population figures. Most of the coins reflected in the mintage figures above have actually been melted down or otherwise lost to the elements of time. Therefore, only a fraction of the total production is left behind. Yet, there are enough 1902 $5 gold coins to meet current demand.

Christian Gobrecht designed 1902 Liberty Head half eagles, which measure 21.6 millimeters wide and contain 0.24187 ounces of gold. Interestingly, Gobrecht also designed the silver Seated Liberty coinage that was in production from the late 1830s through the early 1890s.