Through the 1820′s, half eagles did not circulate. They were, instead, used by bullion depositors for export trade or melted by speculators due to their being worth more than face value. This problem was remedied with the passage of the Act of June 28, 1834 which lowered the weight of the quarter eagle and half eagle. A new design was rendered by William Kneass and the Classic Head half eagle series was born in the latter part of 1834.

In recent years, a number of “short sets” have become popular within certain series of United States coins. As examples, there are short sets in the Mercury Dime and Walking Liberty half dollar series. These sets offer excellent opportunities for collectors who want to purchase high grade coins but who can not afford the expensive early date issues.

Most branch mint gold collectors focus on a specific mint and then assemble a date set. As an example, a Charlotte collector often decides to specialize in quarter eagles and then attempts to assemble a complete set of twenty issues. This has become more difficult, though, due to the high price of choice coins and the relative unavailability of nice, original affordable medium grade examples.

New collectors often ask me to recommend books to add to their numismatic libraries. I find myself recommending a core group of fifteen or so over and over again. This made me realize that it would be very helpful to write a short article that listed the ten essential United States coin books. My parameters for these books are simple: they are well-written and useful.

PART TWO: HALF EAGLES Part One of this article covered gold dollars, quarter eagles, and three dollar gold pieces from the San Francisco mint. This part will cover the Liberty Head half eagles. LIBERTY HEAD HALF EAGLES (1854-1906) No Motto (1854-1866) Fifty Liberty Head half eagles were struck at the San Francisco mint between 1854 and 1906. These issues range from extremely common to extremely rare.

Many of the articles that I have written in the past have focused on expensive, “glamorous” issues. I may have given the unfair impression that collecting United States gold is a rich man’s pursuit. This is clearly not the case. There are a number of exciting, undervalued coins that can be purchased for $2,500 or less.