1906 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle

1906 Liberty Head half eagles were struck at the Philadelphia, Denver (D), and San Francisco (S) mints. 1906 would mark the first year that the Denver mint produced coinage, though the addition of a third mint did not necessarily mean the output was any higher in 1906 than in recent years before. All told, the three mints produced about 1.2 million half eagles, or roughly the same as in 1905, when just the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints were striking $5 gold coins.

Here’s a look at the mintages and values of 1906 $5 Liberty Head half eagle gold coins:

• 1906, 348,735 minted; $781

• 1906-D, 320,000; $781

• 1906-S, 598,000; $781

• 1906 proof, 85; $12,500

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

1906 Liberty Head half eagles contain 0.24187 ounces of pure gold and are often purchased as bullion coins because of the gold content. However, it should be remembered that all pre-1933 U.S. gold coinage is considered numismatically collectible due to its overall scarceness. The pricing premium over spot with these coins is still much higher with coins like Liberty Head half eagles than for bullion coins.

These classic, pre-1933 U.S. gold coins were designed by Christian Gobrecht. He served as the third Chief Engraver of the United States Mint and also designed the Seated Liberty silver coins of the 19th century.