1885 Proof Seated Liberty Half Dollar

The Mint struck 930 proof half dollars in 1885. Ulysses S. Grant died in July after completing his memoirs, which were published by Mark Twain's firm and became one of the bestselling books of the nineteenth century. The national outpouring of grief crossed the sectional lines that had divided the country since the war.

The 930 proof output was near the middle of the 1879-1890 proof range, representing stable demand from the collector community. The proof and its 6,130-coin circulation counterpart both served the same market, and surviving examples of both formats were typically preserved from the moment of acquisition. The 1885 proof is obtainable within the annual With Motto proof sequence.