1907-D

The 1907-D Liberty Head Half Eagle came out of the Denver Mint with a mintage of 888,000 pieces, a sharp jump from the 320,000 Denver struck in 1906. By 1907 the Denver facility had hit a comfortable production stride, and the half eagle was one of its workhorse denominations. Few buyers realized this would be the final year a Liberty Head Half Eagle ever wore the Denver D mintmark. In 1908, Bela Lyon Pratt's incuse Indian Head design replaced Christian Gobrecht's Coronet portrait, ending a series that had run since 1839. Note that the Denver D differs from the older Dahlonega D used at the Georgia branch mint; Dahlonega closed in 1861, so any D-mintmark gold coin dated 1906 or later is Denver. The 1907-D therefore sits at the closing edge of an era.

Authenticating a 1907-D starts with the Type 2 With Motto specifications. Genuine examples weigh 8.359 grams in 90 percent gold, measure 21.6 mm across, and carry a reeded edge with coin alignment. The mintmark sits below the eagle on the reverse, and on legitimate Denver pieces the D is a clean, blocky letter with sharp serifs and even spacing from the surrounding devices. Added-mintmark fakes are uncommon since the date and mintmark were both legitimate in 1907, but counterfeit Liberty Half Eagles from cast or struck-copy sources do circulate. Look for soft details on Liberty's hair curls, weak star centers, and any seam along the edge. Weight off by more than a tenth of a gram, or a failed specific-gravity check, points to a base-metal core under gold plating.

For modern collectors, the 1907-D is one of the more accessible Denver Liberty Head Half Eagles, with surviving examples spread from worn circulated pieces up through Mint State 64 and the occasional 65. Mid-grade About Uncirculated and low Mint State coins trade close to gold-content levels, while certified MS-63 and finer pieces draw a premium for eye appeal and closing-year significance. Buyers building a Denver-mint date set or a final-year-of-type display tend to anchor their group around this issue. Reach for problem-free originality over a higher number with cleaning or rim damage, since the series rewards honest surfaces. For broader context on production years and design changes, see the Liberty Head Half Eagle series history.