Daily AncestorEagle
An eagle was a U.S. ten dollar gold coin; a half eagle was $5 and a quarter eagle $2.50, all created by the Coinage Act of 1792.
The 1792 Coinage Act set up the nation's coins and named the gold ones eagles, half eagles and quarter eagles, worth ten, five and two and a half dollars. The same act created the silver dollar and the copper cent.
In receipts, wills and estate inventories, a line such as 4 half eagles means $20 in gold coin. Gold eagles were struck into the 1900s, so the word can turn up in records from any period of the 1800s.
As seen in a recordEstate inventory, 1830s
Cash found in the desk: 4 half eagles and 2 quarter eagles, $25.00
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Eagle." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/money-measures/eagle-coin. Last checked 2026-10-03.