After two decades of languishing popularity, I’ve noticed a strong uptick in collector demand for Charlotte coinage. This popularity is most noticeable in the half eagle denomination, closely followed by quarter eagles, and trailed by gold dollars. While this surge hasn’t necessarily been reflected in price guide increases, I definitely have to pay more today for nice quality Charlotte gold than I did, say, two to five years ago.

Here are five brief observations about Charlotte gold which I’d like to share with you.

1. The Elusive Sub-$2,000 Collector Quality Charlotte Gold Coin

As recently as a few years ago, I could count on finding a decent supply of sub-$2,000 common date collector quality Charlotte coins. By “collector quality” I mean coins in the Very Fine to low Extremely Fine range with nice overall eye appeal. But today, the same coins are a lot harder to find and the $1,700 VF-25 common date Charlotte half eagle that I could buy in 2017 might cost me $2,100 (or more) today.

It seems obvious to me that a nice, problem-free common date Charlotte half eagle at $1,700 was excellent value. But even at today’s new, higher number, such a coin still seems very fairly priced.

What can the budget-conscious collector of Charlotte coinage expect to find at the sub-$2,000 level? Probably not much. If this collector is willing to increase his per-coin budget to $3,000, there are still a number of great coins in all three denominations available.

2. The Charlotte Quarter Eagle Market

Without a lot of fanfare, the entire Liberty Head quarter eagle market has become pretty active in the last few years. There are now a number of new collectors focusing on Charlotte quarter eagles and I’ve had a really difficult time locating coins for them.

As an example, I have a client who has been looking for a nice AU PCGS/CAC 1846-C quarter eagle for at least three years. Sure, this is a much tougher date but it is an issue which I have handled a number of and I certainly would have expected to find one.

Some of the dates which have proven very elusive in higher grades with good eye appeal and natural color/choice surfaces include the 1842-C, 1843-C Small Date, 1844-C, 1846-C, 1852-C, 1854-C, 1856-C, and 1860-C.

3. High-Grade Charlotte Half Eagles Remain Undervalued and Underappreciated

It is ironic that while the market for collector grade Charlotte gold has performed well in the last few years, the market for Condition Census pieces has been flat. For many coins graded MS63 and finer, prices are the same—or even lower—than they were during the robust market for C+D mint gold in 1999-2001.

There are a few reasons for this. The first is that there are enough problem coins in MS63 and MS64 holders that collectors are hesitant to pay mid-five figures and up for such coins. By “problem coins” I mean pieces which are either noticeably overgraded or pieces with questionable color or worse-than-expected eye appeal due to the surfaces having been brightened. The second is that really nice Charlotte coins don’t trade frequently enough for there to be good price information available to prospective buyers. The third—and potentially the most significant—is that collectors’ tastes have changed with many specialized collectors now focused on either Choice VF-EF coins or AU55/58 coins.

It is my opinion that a coin such as an 1841-C half eagle in PCGS MS63 (just to name a totally random example) should be worth appreciably more in 2021 than it was in 2000. This isn’t the case (yet) but I can see this changing quickly as new collectors seek important one-of-a-kind Charlotte rarities in all three denominations.

4. The Most Popular Charlotte Gold Issues

In my opinion, the most popular issues from Charlotte are those with multiple levels of demand. These are coins which are desired by a wide range of specialized collectors including type collectors, date collectors, first-year-of-issue specialists, and Civil War enthusiasts.

Any list of the most popular Charlotte issues would have to include the following:

1855-C gold dollar
1838-C and 1839-C quarter eagles
1838-C and 1839-C half eagles
1861-C half eagle

5. The 1838-C Half Eagle

For a number of good reasons, the 1838-C half eagle has become arguably the single most popular issue from this mint. It has so many important factors going for it: first year of issue, one year type, availability in a broad range of grades and price points, and just general all-around coolness.

Examples of this date with above-average eye appeal have proven to be very elusive. As of April 2021, CAC had approved 15 in all grades, broken down as follows:

VF and lower: 4

EF: 6

AU: 4

Uncirculated: 1

The fact that there are just five CAC approved examples in AU50 and higher grades (every single one of which has been sold by DWN!) shows the rarity of this coin with good overall eye appeal.

It is still possible to acquire a nice example of this date in the lower AU grades (without CAC approval) for around $12,500. A CAC-stickered coin in this grade range will prove difficult to locate and should one be available to you in the high 10s, jump on it.