Numismatic

1871 Liberty Seated Half Dollar VF

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The 1871 half dollar offers a window into nineteenth-century American coinage, showcasing a design that defined an entire era of silver currency. Struck from 90 percent silver, this fifty-cent piece contains approximately 0.3868 troy ounces of precious metal. Because it was minted at the Philadelphia facility, the coin carries no mint mark, a traditional characteristic of the nation's primary minting facility during this period. On the obverse, the figure of Liberty is depicted sitting down, holding a staff topped with a liberty cap in one hand while resting her other hand upon a shield. The reverse displays a heraldic eagle perched upon a branch, grasping three arrows in its talons, with a shield positioned across its chest. The inscriptions on the coin include the date 1871 on the obverse, and the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOL. on the reverse.