Major types of US half dollars

Half dollars appear in eight major types, which we discuss in this article.

Flowing Hair (1794–1795)

The half dollars of 1794 and 1795 follow the design of the half dimes and silver dollars, showing Liberty as a woman with long flowing locks of hair. The back of the coin features a scrawny-looking eagle within a wreath.

Most half dollars were made from silver deposited at the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia. A person with raw silver or silver coins from other countries could take the silver to the Philadelphia Mint to have the mint make new U.S. coins out of it. The person would then have shiny new coins to distribute to friends, customers, or the merchants with whom he did business. The U.S. government had little money with which to purchase silver, so it relied on people to bring the silver to it.

Draped Bust (1796–1807)

The Draped Bust design (see Figure 11-20) debuted on half dollars in 1796, but silver deposits were so low that only 3,918 half dollars were struck in 1796 and 1797 combined. And none was made from 1797 to 1800. By 1801, mintages of the half dollar jumped until they nearly reached the 1 million mark in 1806. The only rare dates in this series are 1796 and 1797. A popular and challenging way to collect this series is by die variety.

Capped Bust (1807–1839)

In 1807, John Reich created a new design of Liberty for the half dollar. Liberty was older by then, so she was given a more mature appearance. A freedman's cap was placed on her head, and a strip of cloth with the word Liberty on it was tied around her head. Because mintages were so high for this series, you can find many different die varieties. Collectors who pursue this avenue of collecting are known as bust half nuts, and they belong to the Bust Half Nut Club!

The only real rarity in this series is the 1838-O, minted in the first year of production at the New Orleans Mint and now known by less than a dozen examples.

Seated Liberty (1839–1891)

The Seated Liberty design first appeared on the U.S. half dollar in 1839 (see Figure 11-22). Mintages remained high for most dates but dropped off in 1878, when focus shifted to silver-dollar production. Weight changes from 1853 to 1855 and from 1873 to 1874 were indicated by the presence of arrowheads on either side of the date. The real mystery in this series is the 1873-S no arrows half dollar. Mint records indicate that 5,000 were struck, but none has ever been seen. Rarities in this series include the 1853-O no arrows and the 1878-S. Many of the 1861-O half dollars were struck by the Confederacy after it took over the New Orleans Mint.

Barber (1892–1915)

Charles Barber's version of Liberty appeared simultaneously on the dime, quarter, and half dollar in 1892 (see Figure 11-23). The Barber half series has no rarities to prevent you from completing a date and mintmark set. Nevertheless, finding nice high-grade examples is difficult because the coins in this series saw heavy circulation.

Walking Liberty (1916–1947)

A. A. Weinman was responsible for creating new designs for the dime and half dollar in 1916. Both designs represented major departures from Barber's staid head of Liberty. On the half dollar, Liberty carries a huge olive branch and is wrapped in the American flag. The eagle on the back of the coin is one of Ron's favorite renditions of this impressive bird.

You can find every date in this series with ease, even the scarcer 1921, but many of the early dates can get quite expensive in Uncirculated condition.

Franklin head (1948–1963)

Ben Franklin got a coin of his own in 1948 when John Sinnock created a new design for the half dollar (see Figure 11-25). As he did on the Roosevelt dime, Sinnock placed his initials on the half dollar. The back of the coin featured a large image of the Liberty Bell, a design allegedly lifted by Sinnock from the back of his commemorative half dollar of 1926. All Franklin half dollars are common, and a set of all 35 date and mintmark combinations is easy to complete. Collectors often pay big premiums for examples with full bell lines on the Liberty Bell because only coins with full, complete strikes have them.

Kennedy head (1964 to present)

Immediately after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, plans were made to honor him on the half dollar. Engravers Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro created an impressive design that remains extremely popular with collectors today. Ninety percent pure silver coins were struck in 1964 only; from 1965 to 1970, the half dollars contained 40 percent silver, and thereafter they were made of a sandwich of pure copper between layers of copper-nickel. All dates are common.