USA ½ dollar Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1874
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Common
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | ½ dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 107 |
| Mintage | 2,359,600 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| diameter | 30.6 mm |
| weight | 12.5 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
HALF DOL.
IN GOD WE TRUST
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
The arrowheads at either side of the date were continued through 1874, though they really were unnecessary. The half dollars made 1853-72 were so close in weight to this issue that no one would have cared about the minute difference in bullion value. The Philadelphia Mint's coinage of half dollars in 1874 was the highest since 1861, the last year that silver coins had circulated in most of the nation. The price of silver was falling, and it was expected that paper money was about to achieve value parity with silver coins. The moved proved to be a bit premature, as this balance did not go into effect until 1876. In the mean time, Americans mostly made do with fractional paper currency. The 1874(P) half dollar is a common issue in all grades. Even Mint State survivors are more plentiful than in earlier years, with a pleasing number of choice and gem examples. These coins are highly sought as two-year-only type coins, keeping values higher than would be the case otherwise. Wiley and Bugert identified eight obverse dies and seven reverses, for a total of nine die marriages. This will almost certainly go up with the publication of Bill Bugert's die registry book, still pending as this is written. Varieties for this date include one obverse die having Small Arrows (this is normal for proofs but rare for currency pieces) and another with Large over Small Arrows. The remainder all feature the common Large Arrows. 1874(P) half dollars are seen with either 145 or 154 reeds.Read More
