1842-O $2.50 PCGS AU50 CAC

In terms of overall rarity, the 1842-O is the third most difficult New Orleans quarter eagle to find after the 1845-O and the 1843-O Large Date. Only 19,800 were struck and survivors number below 150 with most showing heavy circulation. This frosty, original example shows rich green-gold surfaces punctuated by splashes of reddish-gold. There is quite a bit of mint luster present and not that much actual wear. As is so often the case with this date, the strike is somewhat flat at the centers and this has caused PCGS to be a bit conservative on the grade that they have assigned, in my opinion. Amazingly, there have been no PCGS graded AU50 examples of this date sold at auction since the Heritage 3/01: 2257 coin which brought $1,600 a decade ago. This is the only AU50 example of this date to have received CAC approval.