1855-S Seated Liberty Half: Arrows at the Date
Coin Encyclopedia · 8 min read · Published November 7, 2026
The 1855-S Seated Liberty half is an early San Francisco issue from the first years of the western mint — a coin struck when California was still new country and silver was the language of the mines. The San Francisco Mint struck 129,950 of them in 1855, and almost all went into circulation on the West Coast, where they wore down fast in a hard-money economy. Today the 1855-S is scarce in every grade, and a reminder of how the Mint served a frontier.
The arrows flanking the date are the coin's signature. They mark the lighter weight the Mint adopted in 1853, when it cut the silver in the half dollar from 13.36 grams to 12.44 grams to keep the coins from being melted. This guide explains the arrows check, the San Francisco story, and what to look for in an 1855-S worth keeping.
The arrows — why they are there
In 1853 the value of silver rose above the face value of the silver coins, and people began melting them. The Mint's answer was to cut the weight: the half dollar went from 13.36 grams to 12.44 grams, and to mark the change it added small arrows on either side of the date. The arrows stayed for 1854 and 1855, then were removed — which makes them a two-year signature, and the 1855-S one of the last arrow coins.
The check is simple: look at the date on the obverse, and you will see a small arrow on each side of it. No arrows means the coin is from another year; arrows means 1853, 1854, or 1855. On the 1855-S the arrows sit beside the date with the S mint mark on the reverse below the eagle, and the two details together identify the coin.
San Francisco in 1855 — a mint on the edge of the gold country
The San Francisco Mint opened in 1854 to serve the Gold Rush, and by 1855 it was striking silver for a West Coast economy that ran on coin. The 1855-S halves were struck for that economy — for shops and saloons and pay envelopes in a California that was still building itself — and they circulated hard. Few were ever set aside: in 1855, a half dollar was spending money, and the collectors who might have saved one were few and far away.
That hard use is why the 1855-S is scarce in every grade. The survivors are mostly worn, with Liberty's detail softened and the eagle's feathers blurred, and Mint State examples are genuinely rare. A coin that looks uncirculated after a century and a half on the West Coast is a coin that was kept deliberately — and deliberately kept coins are the exception.
Reading a worn 1855-S
A worn 1855-S tells its story in what is left. Liberty's seated figure softens first — the head, the shield, the drapery — and then the date itself, though the arrows beside it often survive longer than the digits, because they sit in a protected part of the design. On the reverse, the eagle's wing feathers blur and the shield's stripes merge. What matters for identification is simpler: the date must read 1855, the arrows must flank it, and the mint mark must be an S below the eagle.
The weight is the second check: 12.44 grams, the lighter post-1853 standard, with a solid silver edge. A cast copy feels light and shows tiny bubbles under magnification; a genuine 1855-S has a sharp, even reeded edge. If the coin is valuable enough to argue about, it is valuable enough to send to PCGS or NGC — certification settles the question, and it is where the premium for a real 1855-S is paid.
The 1855-S in a Seated Liberty set — the early western date
A Seated Liberty half set is a long project — the design ran from 1839 to 1891, with dozens of dates and mint marks — and the 1855-S is one of its early western dates, the kind that takes patience. It is not the key date of the series, but it is scarce, and it is the date that introduces a collector to the San Francisco issues of the 1850s.
For a collector building the set, the 1855-S is the date to choose carefully and keep original. A worn example is a fair purchase; a Mint State one is a serious one. Either way, the coin to keep is honest: original surfaces, clear arrows, and no cleaning. The arrows are the coin's story, and they should be read, not polished away.
What a 1855-S Seated Liberty Half Arrows is worth by grade
Our guide has not yet researched grade-by-grade estimates for this date, so every cell below shows “—” rather than a guessed figure. The live system fills these cells the moment research or a newly reported result lands. Figures on this page are reviewed November 5, 2026.
| Grade | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| Good (G-4) | — |
| Fine (F-12) | — |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | — |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | — |
| Mint State 60 (MS-60) | — |
| Mint State 65 (MS-65) | — |
No researched grade figures exist for the 1855-S yet. An early San Francisco issue with a mintage of 129,950, it is scarce in every grade, and most survivors are worn from hard use on the West Coast.
Silver, specs, and the arrows at the date
The 1855-S is 90% silver, struck to the lighter post-1853 standard: 12.44 grams, carrying about 0.36 troy ounces of pure silver. The arrows flanking the date are the Mint's mark of that lighter weight. The live metal floor for this coin is —: our live system publishes no floor for this issue, so the grade table above and the reported results below are the guide to follow.
Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty fills the obverse — Liberty seated on a rock, holding a shield and a pole topped with a liberty cap — with a small eagle on the reverse. Diameter 30.6 millimetres, reeded edge, and the S mint mark on the reverse below the eagle.
Verified auction records
Our auction data holds no verified historic record for this date yet — no figure here is guessed. The box below checks for newly reported results on every load, so the first verified result for this coin will appear there.
Latest reported results for this coin
Checking for newly reported results…
Your 1855-S Seated Liberty Half Arrows questions, answered
How much is an 1855-S Seated Liberty half dollar worth?
Our guide has not yet researched grade-by-grade estimates for the 1855-S, so the table shows dashes. With a mintage of 129,950, it is scarce in every grade — an early San Francisco issue that circulated hard on the West Coast.
Is the 1855-S Seated Liberty half silver?
Yes — it is 90% silver, weighing 12.44 grams and carrying about 0.36 troy ounces of pure silver. Our live system publishes no metal floor for this issue, so the grade table and reported results are the guide.
What do the arrows on the 1855-S mean?
The arrows flanking the date mark the lighter weight the Mint adopted in 1853, cutting the half dollar from 13.36 grams to 12.44 grams to stop melting. Arrows appear on the 1853, 1854, and 1855 issues, then were removed.
How many 1855-S Seated Liberty halves were struck?
San Francisco struck 129,950 Seated Liberty halves in 1855. Almost all went into circulation on the West Coast, where they wore down fast and were rarely set aside.
Where is the mint mark on an 1855-S Seated Liberty half?
The mint mark is an S on the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia Seated halves carry no mint mark; the S marks the coin as an early San Francisco issue.
Check your 1855-S
Run the date and mint mark through the free Coin Value Checker for an instant estimate, or get a Grade-or-Not verdict on whether your coin is worth certifying. The full series guide is here: Walking Liberty Halves Worth $25 to $188,000+.
Written for collectors meeting the frontier mint — the 1855-S is an early San Francisco coin, and the arrows are its story. This guide is for education — learn the coin first, and get a professional opinion before buying or selling.
