1871 Proof

The 1871 proof half dollar is the sixth year of the Type 5 With Motto subtype and the second year of the three-mint era for the denomination. John Dannreuther places original delivery at approximately 960 pieces, a small step down from the roughly 1,000 reported for 1870. Modern PCGS and NGC census data put survival in the Sheldon R-4 range (roughly 76 to 200 known across all grades, the standard scale specialists use to describe survival), with deep cameo specimens substantially scarcer than standard mirrors. The 1,204,560 figure on this page is the combined Philadelphia business-strike delivery plus the 960-piece proof run carried over from the circulation record; it has no bearing on the proof entry, which was produced as a separately accounted run on the Mint's medal press from polished dies.

Authentication rests on structural diagnostics rather than mirror depth alone. A genuine 1871 proof reads as deeply mirrored watery fields with controlled die-polish lines visible under a 10x loupe (a jeweler's magnifier), set against frosted devices on the earliest die states. Rims must be fully squared and raised perpendicular to the field, the signature of multiple medal-press blows rather than a single business-strike impression. Denticles (the tooth-like beads ringing the rim) should be sharp on both sides, with pinpoint star centrils and razor-crisp drapery at Liberty's elbow. Weight is load-bearing at 12.44 grams on a .900 fine silver planchet, diameter 30.6 millimeters, with a reeded edge; anything off-weight or off-diameter is disqualified. The recurring risk is the prooflike business strike pulled from polished circulation dies during the heavy Philadelphia commercial run, which mimics the reflective look without the squared rims and perpendicular denticles of a true proof. PCGS or NGC encapsulation is the working standard.

For collectors, the 1871 is one of the more accessible Philadelphia With Motto proofs of the early 1870s, sitting in the same general price band as 1870 and 1872 and well below the 1866 first-year-of-motto date. It surfaces in major sales every year or so, with cameo subsets pricing well over standard mirrors. The Regular classification on this page follows site convention for proof entries; rarity is carried by the prose, not the badge. Type collectors pursue an 1871 proof as a mid-run With Motto representative when 1866 or 1873 No Arrows price out of reach. For broader context on the three-mint era and the With Motto subtype, see the Seated Liberty Half Dollar series history.