Classic Head Half Eagle

As a response to a dilemma that reached threatening proportions back in the 1830’s – the gold coins in circulation didn’t actually circulate, the Classic Head Half Eagle along with the Classic Head Quarter Eagle was produced. Back then, different wars in Europe were causing the price of world gold to reach unprecedented heights.

However, in the United States, the US Gold was at a fixed price and fixed ratio (silver-to-gold) of 15 to 1 and that is according to the US Coinage Act Of 1792. With that in mind, it took fewer ounces of silver to buy an ounce of gold in the United States than it would to buy an ounce of gold in Europe. With that in mind, it didn’t take long before the US Gold Coins became a commodity…having more value than their European counterparts. However, this led to thousands of coins being exported and melted. As a response, the 1834 Mint Act addressed this dilemma by reducing the weight and gold content of gold coins…which led to the production of the Classic Head Half Eagle.

The Classic Head Half Eagle is characterized by a left-facing bust of Lady Liberty on the obverse side of the coin. Along with that, Liberty is found wearing a headband which contained the word LIBERTY that runs full length from the front all the way to back. This is coupled by 13 six-point stars that encircle the head and the date is centered at the bottom.

Looking at the reverse side of the coin, one can find the an eagle with its wings outstretched…a design which was used on other coins like the Capped Bust and Capped Head Half Eagles. Still on the reverse side of the Classic Head Half Eagle, the words – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, are broken into 3 parts in the coin.