Lot 005Coin values
1881-S Liberty Head Half Eagle
SAN FRANCISCO (S) · 90% GOLD, 10% COPPER · 969,000 STRUCK
Worth about $1,000–$1,300 circulated and $14,250–$19,750 in MS-65.
The 1881-S Liberty Head Half Eagle is a common date from the San Francisco Mint, with 969,000 pieces struck. In circulated grades (G-4 to EF-40) our estimate is $1,000–$1,300, and a well-preserved MS-65 example is estimated at $14,250–$19,750. Circulated coins of this date trade at or just above the value of their metal, so the live melt value on this page is the best guide to a worn coin.
Type coin shown: 1866 Liberty Head half eagle with motto, Proof specimen (same design 1866 to 1908). We do not yet hold a licensed photograph of the 1881-S Liberty Head Half Eagle itself, so this is the nearest dated coin of the same design. The design is the same; the date, mint mark and condition of your coin will differ. Photograph: 1866 Liberty Head half eagle with motto, Proof specimen (design used 1866 to 1908), National Numismatic Collection. Public domain, credit US Mint (coin), National Numismatic Collection (photograph by Jaclyn Nash), via Wikimedia Commons.
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- Mint
- San Francisco (S)
- Composition
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Mintage
- 969,000
- Weight and size
- 8.359 g · 21.6 mm
- Designer
- Christian Gobrecht
Among the more plentiful: 77% of issues in the series have a smaller mintage. 969,000 struck. Mintage is the number struck, not the number that survive.
Weight and size
A genuine coin weighs 8.359 g and measures 21.6 mm, with a reeded edge. Gold coins are widely counterfeited; check weight and diameter first.
Mint mark
CC, S, O and D sit on the reverse below the eagle. Philadelphia coins have none. Check that the mint mark matches the date and is original.
Strike and surface
Look at the hair above Liberty's ear and the eagle's head and wings for wear. Bag marks and cleaning cut the Mint State grade.
About the 1881-S Liberty $5
How much is a 1881-S Liberty Head Half Eagle worth?
Lustre's editorial estimate (Oct 2026) is $1,000–$1,300 for circulated examples (G-4 to EF-40) and $14,250–$19,750 in MS-65. These are estimates, not an appraisal or market data. A coin in the grade you hold may sell for less at a dealer, who needs a margin.
Is a 1881-S Liberty Head Half Eagle gold?
Yes. It is 90% gold, 10% copper and weighs 8.359 g, which is 0.2419 troy ounces of pure gold. Its melt value is that weight multiplied by the current gold spot price, shown live on this page. Collector value is usually above melt.
How many 1881-S Liberty Head Half Eagles were minted?
969,000 were struck at the San Francisco Mint.
Where is the mint mark on a Liberty Head Half Eagle?
On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
Is my 1881-S Liberty Head Half Eagle rare?
No. It is a common date. Its value depends mostly on grade, originality and, for gold coins, the melt value.
More Liberty Head Half Eagle values
Where these numbers come from
Half eagle, Wikipedia: weight (8.359 g), diameter (21.6 mm), gold content (about 0.242 oz), designer, years of the Liberty Head design.
Liberty Head Half Eagle: 1839-1908, Type Set Coin Collecting (typesets.wikidot.com, CC BY-SA): mintage and proof mintage by year and mint.
PCGS CoinFacts date pages (mintage cross-check only), PCGS: cross-check of a few mintage figures (1880 and 1884-CC $20, 1880 $5, 1884 proofs); no prices used.
Lustre editorial grade-value estimates, Lustre: grade value ranges (estimates, not market data).
gold-api.com spot prices (reference level for estimates), gold-api.com: reference spot prices behind the estimates.
How the estimates are made. Facts reviewed Oct 2026.