Values
An 1838–1839 reeded-edge Capped Bust half’s market depends on the date, the mint mark, and the grade. Melt is a different conversation. This page is a series reference, not a price list. This chart is HALF DOL. only.
The G, VF, and MS-63 columns sit in the mintage chart below. Those figures are from the NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. They are a published guide, not an offer and not melt. A blank cell means that grade was not printed in this pass.
A dealer looking at the coin in hand will beat a guide number. If you are trying to sell a pile of them, start with how to sell a coin collection and the Ohio coin dealer directory.
Key Dates
PCGS CoinFacts and NGC named no traditional key-date list for this two-year type in this pass. This page will not invent one. Do not call 1839-O a key because the printed count is smaller than 1838.
There is no key-date bolding on the mintage chart for that reason. A worn common 1838 half is still worn.
Errors
These are named types and omissions. This page will not invent a count.
HALF DOL. legend. That is this type. 50 CENTS is a different series.
Lettered-edge 1807–1836. A different series. It is not a row here.
1839 small letters. NGC left that mintage cell blank in this pass. It stays off the chart.
Compare the coin in hand to the NGC Coin Explorer Capped Bust half page, then stay on the 1838–1839 reeded HALF DOL. listings. We do not host their plates.
Varieties
This page is the HALF DOL. type of 1838 and 1839. The 1836–1837 reeded coin with 50 CENTS is not this page. The lettered-edge half is not this page. There is no second design inside these two years.
Names follow PCGS CoinFacts and NGC, the same publishers this site already cites. This is a name list, not a price list and not a count.
Mintage
These reeded halves were struck at Philadelphia and New Orleans. The counts below are the NGC Coin Explorer cells that printed a mintage in this pass.
| Year | Mint | Mintage | NGC ID | G | VF | MS-63 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1838 | P | 3,546,000 1838–1839 reeded HALF DOL. only. Lettered-edge 1807–1836 and 1836–1837 reeded 50 CENTS are not this chart. | 16177 | $80 | $155 | $3,150 |
| 1839 | O | 178,976 1838–1839 reeded HALF DOL. only. Lettered-edge 1807–1836 and 1836–1837 reeded 50 CENTS are not this chart. | 16181 | $700 | $1,850 | $15,000 |
| 1839 | P | 1,392,976 1838–1839 reeded HALF DOL. only. Lettered-edge 1807–1836 and 1836–1837 reeded 50 CENTS are not this chart. | 16179 | $80 | $170 | $3,750 |
Mintage: NGC Coin Explorer, retrieved 2026-08-23. A blank year in the prose is a year NGC did not print. These are Explorer manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Collector-standard year/mint presentation follows A Guide Book of United States Coins (the Red Book). These cells are Mint manufacture figures, not a Red Book net or melt.
Values: NGC US Coin Price Guide, retrieved 2026-08-23. Guide values, not offers. Not melt. NGC IDs link to the same publisher’s price-guide listing.
Key date names: NGC Coin Explorer. Bold rows are only dates that publisher named.
NGC ID: NGC Coin Explorer listing number, retrieved 2026-08-21. A dash means this pass did not record an ID.
Years NGC left blank stay off the chart. The grade columns in the same box are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer.
Read the date. Read HALF DOL. Look at Liberty’s cheek before you argue lettered edge.
Specifications
These are mint specs, not what a dealer pays. Wear can take a little weight off. We will not invent a tolerance.
An 1838–1839 reeded HALF DOL. half is 90 percent silver on a 30 mm planchet, 13.36 g. That is not the lettered-edge size and not the 1836–1837 reeded 50 CENTS alloy. This page will not invent a fine-silver number for 13.36 g.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 30 mm |
| Thickness | 2.15 mm |
| Weight | 13.36 g |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Thickness 2.15 mm, weight 13.36 g, and diameter 30 mm are the Numista 1838–1839 reeded HALF DOL. type page (N#14900). This is not the lettered-edge 1807–1836 half and not the 1836–1837 reeded 50 CENTS type. This site has no printed 13.36 g melt preset, so this page will not invent a fine-silver number.
Grading
An 1838–1839 reeded-edge Capped Bust half wears first on Liberty’s cheek and bust, and on the eagle’s breast. HALF DOL. under the eagle is the type on this page.
These are 90 percent silver. Lettered-edge 1807–1836 and the 1836–1837 reeded 50 CENTS type are different series.
Key Diagnostic Areas
| Area | What to examine | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Liberty’s cheek and bust | The cheek, the cap, and the drapery on the shoulder. | Those high points flatten while the stars can still look sharp. |
| The eagle and HALF DOL. | The eagle’s breast and the HALF DOL. legend under it. | HALF DOL. is this type. 50 CENTS is a different series. |
| Date and mint mark | 1838 or 1839, and O when New Orleans marked it. | A worn date is a worn half. The reeded edge is a type, not a grade. |
| Fields | Adjustment marks and bag marks in the fields. | On mint-state coins, marks and luster decide the number. Shine is not a grade. |
Circulated & Mint State
These cards describe this coin, not a second copy of the P-1 through MS-70 chart. The shared numbers live on the glossary.
See graded photos. The photos that show what VF looks like live at PCGS. We do not host their plates. NGC Coin Explorer is another look if you want a second set.
What each named grade looks like on this design.
Poor
Poor
A disk you can still call a 1838–1839 reeded-edge Capped Bust half if you already know the type.
- Liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast are gone.
- The date may be a shadow. Do not scrape it.
- Shine does not make this a better coin.
AG
About Good
You might read a digit. The high points on this 1838–1839 reeded-edge Capped Bust half are already slick.
- Liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast are worn to a blank patch.
- If you cannot read the date without hoping, stay here.
- A 1838-P is still this grade if it is this worn.
Good
Good
The date is readable. The design is still mostly an outline.
- Liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast are flat. The type is an outline, not a portrait.
- The rim should be full enough to hold the legend.
- This is a worn coin, not a details story.
VG
Very Good
The date is clear. A little life returns away from the high points.
- Some leftover detail sits away from liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast.
- The high points are still tired.
- Do not clean the date to “see it better.”
Fine
Fine
You can follow the design. The high points are outlined, not sharp.
- Liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast are outlined and flat — no real sharpness yet.
- The rest of the coin can look busier than the grade.
- The date should be clear. The mint mark should be too, if there is one.
VF
Very Fine
The type is doing real work. Liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast still decide.
- Leftover detail sits on liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast. The centers are still the worn spot.
- Marks do not raise the grade.
- A regular 1838-P is still this grade if it is this worn.
EF
Extremely Fine
Most of the coin looks sharp. The high points tell on it.
- Light wear on liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast.
- The rest of the coin can look better than the grade. Trust the high points.
- The date should be sharp.
AU
About Uncirculated
Almost no wear — and “almost” lives on the same high points.
- A trace of rub on liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast.
- Luster may still sit in the fields. Rub on those high points is still rub.
- A bright coin with a slick high point is still slick.
Basal MS
Mint State
No wear. The fight is marks and luster, not how white the coin looks.
- No rub on liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast.
- Marks and luster decide how this mint-state coin lives.
- A bright chewed-up coin is still chewed-up.
Choice
Choice Mint State
Still no wear. Cleaner fields than basal mint state.
- Same no-wear rule on liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast.
- Fewer marks in the fields. Luster is more intact.
- White is not a grade.
Gem
Gem Mint State
A clean 1838–1839 reeded-edge Capped Bust half for this type. Still mint state, still not a story.
- No wear on liberty’s cheek and the eagle’s breast.
- Marks and luster, not a romance about a date or a white field.
- A slab is an opinion in plastic. The glossary has the numbers.
A few proof 1838–1839 halves exist. This page does not invent a PR price grid. The proof numbers live on the glossary.
Copper color designations (BN, RB, RD) do not apply here. See the Lincoln Wheat cent and the glossary.
Overview
An 1838–1839 reeded-edge Capped Bust half is a United States half dollar with Liberty in a cap on the front, an eagle on the back, and HALF DOL. under that eagle. Collectors mean those two years. People also call it the reduced reeded Bust half. Both names point at the same Gobrecht type.
People like them because the legend change is easy to show someone across a table. They are also easy to mix with lettered-edge halves in a junk box. A wiped coin looks “better” to a seller and worse to everyone else.
This page is a series article, not a shop listing.
History
The Mint moved the half dollar to a reeded edge and a smaller planchet at the end of the 1830s. 1838 and 1839 use HALF DOL. Lettered-edge halves stop earlier. The 1836–1837 reeded coins that still say 50 CENTS are a different type. This page will not dump those types into one table.
This page will not invent a shop list to fill 1836 or 1837.
Design
Obverse: Liberty facing left in a cap, thirteen stars, and the date. Reverse: an eagle with arrows and an olive branch, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and “HALF DOL.” The mint mark sits on the reverse when the coin is from New Orleans.
Look at the cheek, the eagle’s breast, and HALF DOL. Those spots go flat first. The legend is a type.
People Also Ask
What years are the reeded-edge Capped Bust halves on this page?
This page is 1838 and 1839 with HALF DOL. under the eagle. Lettered-edge 1807–1836 and the 1836–1837 reeded 50 CENTS type are different series.
How much is an 1838 or 1839 reeded half worth?
It depends on the date, the mint mark, and the grade. The G, VF, and MS-63 columns in the mintage chart are NGC guide values from 2026-08-23, not an offer. Melt is a different conversation. A dealer looking at the actual coin will beat a guide number.
Is this the same as the lettered-edge Capped Bust half?
No. Lettered-edge halves are 1807–1836 on a different type. This page is the smaller reeded 1838–1839 HALF DOL. coin.
Why is 1836 or 1837 missing?
The 1836–1837 reeded type uses 50 CENTS and a different alloy. The printed type page for that coin has no thickness in this pass, so it is not this page.
Should I clean an 1838 half before I sell it?
No. Dip, polish, or a kitchen scrub usually cuts the price. Leave the coin as it is and let a dealer tell you what they see.
Collector Considerations
Buy the coin, not the story. A common 1838 in a high grade can cost more than a worn 1839-O. That is normal.
If you inherited a box, do not scrub the date to “see it better.” Keep them in the holders they arrived in, or in cheap cardboard flips, and take the box to a person who sees early halves every week. The coin dealer directory starts in Ohio. This site does not invent shop names to fill a paragraph.
Raw coins are fine. So are slabs. What is not fine is a coin that has been cleaned until the fields look like glass, then offered as “original.”
If you collect by type, one honest circulated 1838 will teach you the cheek and HALF DOL. For the next seated half, read the Seated Liberty half. For a later half, read the Barber half.
A Final Word
1838–1839 reeded halves reward people who slow down. Read the date. Read HALF DOL. Leave the polish under the sink.
When you want the next half-dollar type, the Seated Liberty half is already here.