A Rare HM-2 1838-C Half Eagle with Perfect Reverse
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Don't Look Now...But Charlotte Half Eagles Appear to be In Demand
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I’ve noticed a subtle shift in demand for Charlotte half eagles in the last few years; enough so to lead me to believe that there are a significant number of collectors assembling date sets…
Read MoreFinest Known 1838-C Half Eagle Sold: Sets Record Price
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The finer of only two 1838-C half eagles graded Uncirculated by PCGS has been sold for a record price for any business strike Classic Head half eagle, and for any half eagle from the Charlotte Mint…
Read MoreAppearance Rarity of Dahlonega and Charlotte Half Eagles
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As I have pointed out in other articles, perhaps the single most important factor about CAC approval of third-party graded U.S. coins is that it creates a standard which I term “appearance rarity.” This refers to coins which are choice enough for their assigned grade to be accepted by CAC…
Read MoreDWN Sells Finest Known 1861-C Half Eagle
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The 1861-C is an important issue for a number of reasons. It is the final coin produced at the Charlotte mint and it is the only issue from Charlotte with a Civil War association…
Read MoreBattle of the Classic Head Fives: The 1838-C vs. The 1838-D
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If you ask most casual collectors which of these two issues is the rarer or more desirable, I’m guessing most would select the 1838-D. Let’s look at the Tale of the Tape for each issue and then I will add some analysis.
Read MoreWhy Does the 1861-C Half Eagle Get No Love?
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I recently sold a nice PCGS/CAC AU55 1861-C half eagle and it made me think: why is the 1861-C less than one-third the price of the 1861-D in higher grades and why doesn’t the 1861-C have more of a fuss made over it?
Read More1839-C $5.00 NGC AU58
/After employing the Classic Head design for just one year, the Charlotte mint produced the first of the Gobrecht Liberty Heads in 1839 only. This design is readily identifiable by a different configuration of the portrait and the presence of the mintmark on the obverse. As a date, the 1839-C is only the ninth rarest of twenty-four half eagles from this mint but it is the sixth rarest in high grades. In AU55 and above, this is an extremely scarce coin. The present example shows nice natural green-gold color with some deeper reddish-orange hues at the borders. The strike is bold and there are just a few light abrasions viisble on the surfaces. A small obverse rim nick at 10:00 doesn't detract; a small rim cud below the 18 in the date is as made. An important one-year type that, along with the 1839-D, is one of the few Southern branch mint half eagles that has multiple levels of demand.
1860-C $5.00 NGC AU55
/This is exactly the sort of coin that, so many times in the past, has been scrubbed and reholdered by the grading services as an AU58. To my eyes, it is far more attractive (and valuable) as a "virgin" 55. As always, this piece must be graded only by the obverse as the reverse is weak and fuzzy due to improper planchet preparation. Both sides show very appealing medium to deep green-gold color and there is ample dirt in the recesses on both sides. A thin mint-made defect in the left obverse field runs from the denticles between stars one and two towards the chin and is diagnostic to the issue. The 1860-C half eagle is genuinely scarce in properly graded AU55 to AU58 and very rare in Uncirculated. This example is perfect for the date collector but would make a nice type coin as well.
