The Half Eagles of 1795 were the first gold coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint.  The first designs featured Robert Scot's capped bust design on the obverse while the reverse displayed an eagle perched on an olive branch holding a wreath aloft in its beak.  In 1798, the heraldic eagle reverse was adopted.  The mint paid little attention to the dates on dyes, therefore, 1795 and 1797 obverse were used in combination with the heraldic eagle reverse.

 

The small eagle reverse was used in the years 1795, 1796, 1797, and 1798.  The 1798 small eagle is one of America's greatest gold coin rarities, as only about a half dozen or so exist today.

 

The Half Eagle went through a number of design changes in 1807 and 1813, as well as a weight reduction in 1829.  All Half Eagles of 1795-1834 are rare.

 

Following a reduction in weight, which became effective in 1834, the Half Eagle was changed to William Kneass' classic head type, a style which was continued through 1838.  In 1839, the Liberty Head or Coronet Type made its appearance.  This was part of the mint's program to make the design for all gold denominations uniform.  In 1866, another minor change occurred when the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the reverse of the coin.  This style was continued until 1908 when it was replaced by the new incused design by Bella Lyon Pratt.