California Fractional Gold 50¢ (octagonal, typical) melt value

What this coin is

The California Fractional Gold 50¢ (octagonal, typical) is a gold coin of the United States. This page is for the type × composition — every date and mint of this issue has the same metal if the weight and fineness match the spec below. Melt is that metal times today’s spot, not a collector or dealer bid.

What is written on the coin

Read the denomination, the date, and the country name on the coin. People often search the words actually stamped on the piece (for example DOS PESOS or VEINTE PESOS on Mexican gold). Those words are indexed on this site.

Metal content (the melt spec)

Mint specification: 0.5000 grams at 88.33% fine, which is 0.01420 troy oz of pure gold (AGW). Formula: grams × fineness ÷ 31.1034768. Date and mintmark do not change that number. Melt today is $58.09 per coin at $4,090.70 gold.

Mintage

Mintage varies by date. We do not publish a year-by-year mintage table here because melt is the same for this composition. A scarce date or a high grade can be worth more than melt; a common worn piece is often near melt.

A little history

This listing is a gold-library type used by coin shops. Confirm the name on the coin matches this page before you use the melt figure.

How to tell you have this type

Match denomination, metal color, and date range. If two compositions share a design (for example 90% vs clad), the date or the edge (solid silver vs copper stripe) decides which page to use.

Date and mintmark do not change the metal on this page. Collector value is a different market — a shop looks at date, mint, and condition. Melt is the floor.