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1/2 Dollar Pattern
| Issuer | Republic of Liberia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1889 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 30.4 mm |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap and a prominent five-pointed star on the headband, with flowing curly hair rendered in fine detail. The legend REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA arcs around the periphery, reading from lower left to lower right. A small mint mark letter E appears in the exergue below the truncation. The design closely parallels the Liberty effigy used on contemporary Liberian coinage, set within a finely toothed border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Liberia's 1889 coinage experiments were tied directly to the republic's chronic struggle to establish a credible monetary system independent of foreign currencies — particularly the U.S. dollar and British West African trade pieces that dominated actual commerce. This bronze pattern for a half dollar denomination was never adopted; the republic would not achieve a functioning domestic coinage in regular circulation until the twentieth century.
KM#Pn39 is one of several pattern strikes from this period, suggesting a broader evaluation of denominations and metals that ultimately went nowhere.