Half Dime Coin Values, Facts & Tips For Collecting Half-Dimes From 1794 To 1873 (Similar To Nickels, Both Are 5-Cent Coins)

U.S. Half Dime Value

Even though nickels and half dimes may sound like different coins, they’re both the same as far as the United States Mint is concerned.

They’re both 5-cent coins.

Half dimes and nickels saw many designs over the course of their decades of service.

Here’s a little about the similarities and differences between a U.S. half dime and a U.S. nickel…

Facts About The U.S. Half Dime 5-Cent Coin

The half dime was the U.S. Mint’s answer to the need for a 5-cent coin during the 19th century.

The half dime coin:

• Was first struck in 1794
• Was made from silver (about 90% of the weight is silver)
• Weighed half the amount of dimes back in the day
• Was last struck in 1873 (7 years after the U.S. Mint had begun making another 5-cent coin)

The half dime saw 4 major design types — with many varieties and minor modifications to each of those designs:

1. Flowing Hair half dime (1794-1795)
2. Draped Bust half dime (1796-1805)
3. Capped Bust half dime (1829-1837)
4. Seated Liberty half dime (1837-1873)

Facts About The U.S. Nickel 5-Cent Coin

The nickel coin:

• Was first struck in 1866
• Contains a 75% copper 25% nickel composition
• Still continues to be made today

The U.S. nickel has also seen many design changes during its long run, including these 4 major design types:

• Shield nickel (1866-1883)
• Liberty Head nickel (1883-1912)
• Buffalo nickel (1913-1938)
• Jefferson nickel (1938-Present)

Ahh, but this article is really about the half dime 5-cent coin, so let’s get to those half dime values today…

U.S. Half Dime Values By Type

Wonder how much an old half dime is worth?

You’re not alone. Many collectors want to know the value of their half dimes.

Below is a list of half dime values from 1794 through 1873.

Flowing Hair Half Dime Value

• 1794 half dime — $1,200+
• 1795 half dime — $1,100+

Draped Bust Half Dime Value

• 1796 6 Over 5 half dime — $1,100+
• 1796 half dime — $1,450+
• 1796 LIKERTY half dime — $1,100+
• 1797 15 Stars half dime — $1,100+
• 1797 16 Stars half dime — $1,100+
• 1797 13 Stars half dime — $1,750+
• 1800 half dime — $875+
• 1800 LIKERTY half dime — $1,000+
• 1801 half dime — $1,100+
• 1802 half dime — $1,100+
• 1803 Large 8 half dime — $850+
• 1803 Small 8 half dime — $850+
• 1805 half dime — $850+

Capped Bust Half Dime Value

• 1829 half dime — $45+
• 1830 half dime — $40+
• 1831 half dime — $40+
• 1832 half dime — $40+
• 1833 half dime — $40+
• 1834 half dime — $40+
• 1835 half dime — $40+
• 1836 half dime — $40+
• 1836 3 Over Inverted 3 half dime — $45
• 1837 Small 5 C half dime — $50+
• 1837 Large 5 C half dime — $45+

Seated Liberty Half Dime Value

Seated Liberty Half Dime Varieties and Values

Variety 1

• 1837 Small Date half dime — $30+
• 1837 Large Date half dime — $30+
• 1838-O No Stars half dime — $125+

Variety 2

• 1838 No Drapery, Large Stars half dime — $15+
• 1838 No Drapery, Small Stars half dime — $18+
• 1839 No Drapery half dime — $17+
• 1839-O No Drapery half dime — $17+
• 1840 No Drapery half dime — $17+
• 1840-O Drapery half dime — $32+
• 1840 Drapery half dime — $28+
• 1840-O Drapery half dime — $38+
• 1841 half dime — $13+
• 1841-O half dime — $50+
• 1842 half dime — $13+
• 1842-O half dime — $47+
• 1843 half dime — $18+
• 1844 half dime — $17+
• 1844-O half dime — $75+
• 1845 half dime — $13+
• 1846 half dime — $800+
• 1847 half dime — $17+
• 1848 Medium Date half dime — $13+
• 1848 Large Date half dime — $28+
• 1848-O half dime — $18+
• 1849 half dime — $20+
• 1850 half dime — $18+
• 1850-O half dime — $25+
• 1851 half dime — $14+
• 1851-O half dime — $21+
• 1852 half dime — $14+
• 1852-O half dime — $26+
• 1853 No Arrows half dime — $50+
• 1853-O No Arrows half dime — $310+
• 1856 half dime — $14+
• 1856-O half dime — $14+
• 1857 half dime — $14+
• 1857-O half dime — $14+
• 1858 half dime — $14+
• 1858-O half dime — $14+
• 1859 half dime — $14+
• 1859-O half dime — $20+

Variety 3

• 1853 half dime — $17+
• 1853-O half dime — $20+
• 1854 half dime — $17+
• 1854-O half dime — 17+
• 1855 half dime — $17+
• 1855-O half dime — $17+

Variety 4

• 1860 Legend half dime — $12+
• 1860-O half dime — $17+
• 1861 half dime — $17+
• 1862 half dime — $20+
• 1863 half dime — $185+
• 1863-S half dime — $40+
• 1864 half dime — $310+
• 1864-S half dime — $58+
• 1865 half dime — $375+
• 1865-S half dime — $45+
• 1866 half dime — $315+
• 1866-S half dime — $38+
• 1867 half dime — $425+
• 1867-S half dime — $25+
• 1868 half dime — $48+
• 1868-S half dime — $12+
• 1869 half dime — $25+
• 1869-S half dime — $25+
• 1870 half dime — $12+
• 1870-S half dime — $1.5 Million+ (Unique Rarity)
• 1871 half dime — $12+
• 1871-S half dime — $14+
• 1872 half dime — $12+
• 1872-S half dime — $15+
• 1873 half dime — $12+
• 1873-S half dime — $12+

Values are for problem-free coins with no dents, holes, bends, deep scratches, artificial color, or signs of cleaning. Coins in grades lower than Good-4 or with signs of damage are worth less. Only some of the most important varieties are listed above.

Tips For Collecting Half Dimes

Half dimes can be challenging to collect, but they aren’t impossible — especially if you know the ins & outs of assembling a half dime collection.

There are a few different ways to collect half dimes:

• Collect half dimes by type — which means to collect a set of half dimes that includes only the Flowing Hair type or only the Draped Bust type, or only the Capped Bust type, or only the Liberty Seated design type.
• Collect half dimes by date and mintmark — which is by far the most expensive and difficult way to collect the half dime coin, because it includes every single date and mintmark combination for each type.
• Collect Liberty Seated half dimes by variety — which means to collect one example of each of the 5 major varieties.
• Collect proof half dimes — which generally cost about $300 apiece (and up).

Before you buy half dimes…

While it can save money to buy off-quality coins, the best strategy for buying half dimes is to purchase the best pieces that fit within your budget.

This can improve the odds that your half dimes will increase in value — because better-quality coins almost always perform better over the long term than poor-quality coins.

It also pays to do some deeper research on which pieces are the scarcest — because some legitimately rare half dimes are actually quite affordable. This is in part because the demand for certain dates is much lower than more popular “rare” coins, such as the 1909-S VDB penny.

• Case in point: the 1868 Liberty Seated half dime. Only 88,600 were made and perhaps only 400 survive, yet one can be bought for far less than $100 in circulated condition.
• Compare that to the 1909-S VDB penny. A total of 484,000 were made, and perhaps 20,000 or more exist, yet they cost at least $500 in a grade of Good-4.

In other words, if you know what you’re buying, you may score some really rare old coins for a fraction of the price of the rare coins you’ve probably already heard a lot about.

How to save money when buying half dimes:

• Buy damaged half dimes. While damaged coins or cull coins may be of subpar quality (cleaned, holes, etc.), they can help you fill holes in your coin albums at much lower prices than buying problem-free specimens.
• Buy half dimes in bulk. Some coin dealers offer half dimes and other 19th-century coins in large lots of a few, dozens, or even hundreds of coins — which saves you the cost of buying coins individually.
• Buy half dimes from auctions. When buying coins at a coin auction, you are likely to save money if few other people are bidding on the same coins.

Did You Know?…

Before the half dime, there was the half disme coin — it’s similar, but different.

On July 9, 1792 President Washington authorized the making of half disme coins.

On July 13, 1792, Thomas Jefferson (then Secretary of State) recorded in his household account book: “Rec’d from the mint 1500 half dimes of the new coinage.”

Although the entire mintage of 1,500 half dismes were presented to Jefferson by U.S. Mint Director David Rittenhouse, he passed some on to others. They were used by General Washington as presentation pieces for visiting dignitaries and VIPs. Many were also given to acquaintances in Virginia.

Fun facts about 1792 half disme coins:

• No more half dismes were ever made.
• It’s estimated that most of the half disme coins entered circulation.
• About 200 to 250 are known to exist today — most of them in low grades. (Approximately 20 uncirculated examples are included in that figure.)
• Half disme coins are among the most prized of all American silver coins.
• As the prototype five-cent piece, the 1782 half disme was replaced in 1794 by the first regular issue half dime — the Flowing Hair type.

Read more about early half dimes from 1792 to 1837 here.