1834 Classic Head Half Eagle Value

Question: Can you give me an approximate value of a $5.00 gold 1834 Classic Head 1/2 Eagle?

My Answer: Thank you for contacting me with your question, however it is impossible to value a coin without actually seeing it and determining the grade or condition of the coin. An 1834 half eagle could be worth anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

There are some things that you can do yourself to determine an approximate value of your coin.

1. Read the Coin Grading section of this site about determining the grade of a coin. Be sure to follow all the links to learn all about grading coins.


2. Then study the descriptions in the coin grading scale and find the one that most closely describes your coin.


3. Determine if your 1834 half eagle has a Plain 4 or a Crosslet 4 - see image at the top of the page.
   


4. Go to an online coin pricing guide and look for the prices of an 1834 half eagle with the grade that you determined in step 2. I recommend the fair market value price guide located at Numismedia. Just scroll down to Classic Head, find 1834, then look across the columns until you find the grade that you determined in step 2 above.

This should give you a good idea of what your coin is worth.

You can also go to eBay and check out what other coins similar to yours are selling for.