Below are the most sought after half dollars. Click on the links for a complete overview and links to both the PCGS and NGC price guides.
Flowing Hair Half Dollar (1794-1795)
Early Half Dollars – Flowing Hair, Draped Bust, and Capped Bust. The Silver Half Dollar began circulation in 1794 with the Flowing Hair design. Congress wanted a coin that would be “emblematic of liberty”. The Flowing Hair silver half dollar gets its name directly from the imagery on the coin’s face. The half dollar, was designed by Chief Engraver at the time, Robert Scot, and features a young woman with flowing hair that represents freedom. Due to the…READ MORE
Draped Bust Half Dollar (1796-1807)
Early Half Dollars – Flowing Hair, Draped Bust, and Capped Bust. The Silver Half Dollar began circulation in 1794 with the Flowing Hair design. Congress wanted a coin that would be “emblematic of liberty”. The Flowing Hair silver half dollar gets its name directly from the imagery on the coin’s face. The half dollar, was designed by Chief Engraver at the time, Robert Scot, and features a young woman with flowing hair that represents freedom. Due to the…READ MORE
Capped Bust Half Dollar (1807-1839)
Early Half Dollars – Flowing Hair, Draped Bust, and Capped Bust. The Silver Half Dollar began circulation in 1794 with the Flowing Hair design. Congress wanted a coin that would be “emblematic of liberty”. The Flowing Hair silver half dollar gets its name directly from the imagery on the coin’s face. The half dollar, was designed by Chief Engraver at the time, Robert Scot, and features a young woman with flowing hair that represents freedom. Due to the…READ MORE
Seated Liberty Half Dollar (1839-1891)
By 1839 Half Dollars had been in circulation for decades and had undergone a plethora of adjustments and 1839 proved no exception to this constant revising. In 1839, silver coins were overhauled yet again. Instead of the variations on the bust design that had been in circulation before, the new design featured a seated Liberty wearing a cap that signified freedom and a shield that represented preparedness. Like those before, this change…READ MORE
Barber Half Dollar (1892-1915)
The Barber Half Dollar started with a contest. As the young United States cemented its identity, the US Mint looked for new designs for silver coinage to reflect the character of the fledgling nation. From the onset of this search for a new design, Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber wanted to assist in creating this new coinage but Mint Director James Kimball had other plans. Mr. Kimball wanted a new design for silver coins and he devised a plan to achieve this goal that did not include relying on Barber. His plan was…READ MORE
Walking Liberty Half Dollar (1916-1947)
The Walking Liberty Half Dollar was a symbol of change in the second half of the 20th century. It was the time of Woodrow Wilson’s narrow re-election as President of the USA, the rise of movie theaters, and major shifts and changes in the world of technology. In this era of rapid change, it was bound to happen that the world of coins would undergo a serious transformation too. Here are some of the major distinguishing qualities of the Walking Liberty…READ MORE
Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963)
The Franklin Half Dollar is of enormous historical significance to American currency. Issued only a few years after WWII and at the beginning stages of the Cold War, this half dollar completed the transition of coin designs away from symbolic figures and artwork to actual historical figures. It was, in effect, the end of an era that has often been called the Golden Age of American coinage…READ MORE
Kennedy Half Dollar (1964 to Date)
The Kennedy Half Dollar – In 1963, one of the most tragic events in American history occurred: President Kennedy was assassinated. It was a major crisis for the public’s consciousness and to this day most people who were alive at the time can tell you exactly what they were doing when they learned of the news. Due to President Kennedy’s extraordinary impact on the spirit of the American nation, it only makes sense that his legacy be engraved in a US coin…READ MORE