1866-S Liberty Head Half Eagle — MOTTO
Liberty Head Half Eagle · 1839-1908
- Year / Mint 1866 · S (San Francisco)
- Denomination $5
- Designer Christian Gobrecht
- Mintage 34,920
- Melt Value ~$1057.70
Estimate
Problem coins — cleaned, ex-jewelry, holed — trade near melt plus 3%.
Die Varieties
No die varieties recorded yet for this date.
Specifications
- Series Liberty Head Half Eagle (1839-1908)
- Denomination $5
- Designer Christian Gobrecht
- Composition 90% gold
- Metal content 0.2419 oz fine gold — about $1050 at metal (melt) value as of 2026-09-10 metals.dev
- Weight 8.359 g
- Diameter 21.6 mm
- Edge Reeded
- Mintage 34,920
- Mint mark S
History
MOTTO type. This date exists in more than one distinct type, each with its own mintage, so it is carried as a separate coin rather than folded into a single card. Mintage 34,920 from the NGC published mintage field ("1866 S MOTTO $5 MS").
The Junto Brief
Notes on coins, values, and the hunt — delivered on occasion. No noise.