1864 Half Dollar Error List with Pictures
The tiny S on an 1864 half dollar can have a gap in its top curve. One exceptionally well-preserved example of this variety sold for $38,400 in May 2025.
You do not need a five-figure coin to see the feature. Estimated values for the 1864 half dollar errors covered here range from $200 to $40,000.
Read on for a closer look at the broken S, extra date outlines, and fine raised lines across the coin.
1. 1864 Liberty Seated Half Dollar Die Crack Error (Up to $2,640)
Thin raised lines appear on the Philadelphia half dollar described in Heritage’s January 2025 auction. These lines came from cracks in the die, the steel tool that stamped the design.
Pressure gradually split the tool’s surface. Silver entered those narrow openings during striking and formed raised threads on the coin.
The auction called the lines fine die cracks but did not describe their full paths. Close photographs are needed to locate them.
Not every line has the same cause. A gray surface line mentioned near STATES should not be counted as a crack without checking whether it is raised.
Estimated Value
The PCGS MS63 example sold for $2,640 at Heritage in January 2025. MS63 means it had no circulation wear, though marks could remain on its surface.
Estimate $2,000–$3,500 for a similarly preserved Philadelphia coin. The auctioned example also has a repunched date, so both features share that one sale price.
Bright original surfaces and clear detail affect value. A faint crack on a heavily worn coin does not place it in this range.
How to Identify
Tilt the coin under a lamp. A raised thread should catch light above the surrounding surface; a scratch usually leaves a groove.
Use a 10× magnifier to check the line, then compare its position with photographs of the auctioned WB-102. That number identifies the variety, not the length of each crack.
Look below the eagle for a mintmark. The Philadelphia example has none, so an S-marked coin needs its own comparison.
A digital scale and calipers should show about 12.44 grams before wear and roughly 30.6 millimeters across. The edge should have ridges, called reeding.
A raised line in the same position as the documented example gives the clearest match.
2. 1864 Liberty Seated Half Dollar Repunched Date Error (Up to $2,640)
Extra outlines sit above the 4’s crossbar and right foot. The 1 also shows traces of being punched more than once, though its marks need a close comparison.
These details began while the date was being added to the stamping tool. A second impression did not fully cover the first, leaving small extra strokes.
Collectors call this a repunched date. The finished coins carry raised traces of that earlier work.
WB-102 is the catalog name for the variety. Wear can make its extra strokes harder to see, but it does not turn them into a different error.
Estimated Value
The same coin discussed in the crack section supplies this price comparison. The PCGS MS63 WB-102 sold for $2,640 at Heritage on January 14, 2025.
For similar unworn examples, estimate $2,000–$3,500. The extra date strokes help identify the variety, while the coin’s overall condition helps set its price.
Do not add a second $2,640 for the date. The date and cracks appeared together on one auctioned coin.
How to Identify
Check that you have the Philadelphia coin: there should be no mintmark below the eagle. It normally has a ridged edge and measures about 30.6 millimeters with calipers.
A digital scale checks the original 12.44-gram weight, allowing for wear. Now photograph the whole date.
With a 10× magnifier, inspect the 4 above its crossbar and right foot, then compare the 1 with a known WB-102. Extra outlines should rise from the surface, not cut into it like dents.
Flat shelf-like edges can come from movement during striking and need a separate check. The two matching marks at the 4 offer the clearest starting test for this repunched date.
3. 1864-S Liberty Seated Half Dollar Broken S Mintmark Error (Up to $38,400)
The small S below the eagle has an incomplete upper curve. The gap is part of a repeated mintmark shape called Small Wide Broken S.
It began with a damaged punch, the tool used to press the S into the stamping die. Coins made from that die then showed the same incomplete letter.
Bill Bugert’s San Francisco reference records this feature for 1864-S. More than one pair of stamping tools carried it.
No piece of silver needed to break off. The missing portion was already absent from the design stamped onto the coin.
Estimated Value
Circulated examples have an estimated value of $200–$1,000. A PCGS EF Details–Cleaned WB-4 brought $312 at Stack’s Bowers in November 2025; the label notes cleaning damage.
An exceptional unworn MS67 coin belongs in a different range: $30,000–$40,000. PCGS records a $38,400 Heritage sale in May 2025.
That large price reflects superb preservation. The small gap in the S alone does not make a worn example worth that much.
How to Identify
Find the S below the eagle on the back. Its upper curve should have the same gap shown in the Small Wide Broken S reference image.
Use a 10× magnifier and keep the whole letter in view. A weak strike can soften several parts of the S, while damage may leave a cut extending outside it.
Compare the letter’s width as well as the gap. A full photograph of the back helps keep its size and position clear.
The normal coin weighs 12.44 grams before wear, measures about 30.6 millimeters, and has a ridged edge. Check loose coins with a scale and calipers, then use the matching upper-curve gap as the key visual test.
Conclusion
Estimated values extend from $200 to $40,000 across these 1864 examples. A broken S, extra date outlines, and raised crack lines each have their own visible clues.
Condition explains much of the price spread, especially for the San Francisco coin. The $2,640 Philadelphia sale covers both its repunched date and fine cracks, so it is one comparison rather than two separate sales.