1861 Liberty Seated Half Dollar

Struck in 90% silver at the Philadelphia Mint, the 1861 Liberty Seated half dollar is an important collectible from the first year of the Civil War. Early in 1861, a number of southern states seceded from the Union. Delegates from several of the states met on February 4, 1861, to form the Confederate States of America. The Civil War began two months later, on April 12, with the bombardment of federal Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.