U.S. Mint coin reference
Liberty Seated half dollars are long-running 19th century silver half dollars with several subtypes.
Obverse: Liberty seated on a rock holding shield and pole.
Reverse: Heraldic eagle with shield, olive branch, and arrows; IN GOD WE TRUST appears on a ribbon above the eagle on motto issues beginning in 1866.
The Liberty Seated half dollar began in 1839 and became a major U.S. silver denomination throughout the mid-nineteenth century. Christian Gobrecht’s design was repeatedly modified, producing important subtypes such as No Motto, Arrows and Rays, With Motto, and later arrows-at-date issues. Weight changes and the addition of IN GOD WE TRUST reflect broader changes in federal coinage law during the period. The series ended in 1891 and was replaced by the Barber half dollar in 1892.