1839-D $5.00 PCGS AU58

Variety 1. Mintmark directly over the top of the 3 in the date. This is the rarer of the two known varieties. Along with the 1838-D, the 1839-D is an important issue amongst Dahlonega half eagles as it is a one year type coin. The 1839-D is actually rarer than the 1838-D both in terms of overall and grade rarity. There are an estimated 200-225 known with as many as four dozen grading AU by today's standards. However, the great majority are in the AU50 to AU53 range and choice pieces are very rare. Only four to six are known in Uncirculated and the PCGS population of just three coins in AU58 should give a clear indication as to this coin's rarity in this grade. The present example is a highly lustrous slider with virtually no rub seen on the obverse and excellent overall detail for the issue. Both sides show some medium yellow-gold color and there are only a few light, scattered abrasions visible in the fields. The last APR for a PCGS AU58 1839-D half eagle was in May 2007 when Heritage sold a piece for $16,100; prior to this you have to go all the way back to October 1999 when the Bass II coin was sold for a reasonable $11,500.