1843

The 1843 Liberty Head Half Eagle marks a sharp jump in Philadelphia output, with 611,205 pieces struck against just 27,578 the year before. That roughly twenty-fold increase ranks among the largest year-over-year shifts in the early Liberty Head series, and it set a new working scale for the denomination as the decade developed. The reverse uses the Large Letters style that Philadelphia adopted during 1842, so 1843 examples are a clean Type 1 No Motto issue without the small-letter variation seen on some earlier dates. That places the date squarely in the middle of the No Motto period, which ran from 1839 through 1866 and predates the addition of "In God We Trust" to the reverse.

Authentication is straightforward for this date. A genuine piece weighs 8.359 grams and measures 21.6 millimeters, with the standard 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper alloy giving the warm yellow color that distinguishes original surfaces from polished or cleaned examples. There is no mintmark, so the lower reverse field beneath the eagle should be blank. Counterfeit 1843 half eagles tend to fall short on weight by a tenth of a gram or more, and the relief on Liberty's hair curls is a useful diagnostic since cast or pressed fakes often show a soft, mushy texture in those high points compared to the crisp definition of an authentic Gobrecht strike.

Collector demand for the 1843 Philadelphia centers on circulated and lower mint-state grades, where pricing tends to track gold content with a modest numismatic premium. Recent listings put PCGS AU50 examples around the $1,800 range, while a PCGS MS64 has been offered near $25,000, reflecting how steeply the curve climbs once original mint luster enters the picture. The date works well as a type representative for the No Motto half eagle and is one of the more approachable entry points for someone building a date set. Pieces with deeply abraded surfaces or evidence of cleaning trade much closer to bullion levels, while CAC-stickered examples in the same grade tend to bring noticeable premiums over standard market. For background on the broader design, see our Liberty Head Half Eagle series history.