1894-O $5.00 NGC MS62

Only three New Orleans half eagles bear the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse and the 1894-O is the penultimate of this trio. It is far scarcer than the 1893-O but not as rare as the 1892-O. The 1894-O is generally seen in the AU53-MS60 range and it is rare in properly graded MS62. In all my years of specializing in New Orleans gold I have only handled a small number finer than MS62 and the present example is a fresh, pleasing coin with natural green-gold and orange colors atop highly reflective, lightly scuffed surfaces. Only five slabbed MS62 examples of the 1894-O half eagle have appeared at auction since 2000 and the last sale was a PCGS coin that brought $3,220 as Heritage 11/11: 4331.