1879-CC $5.00 PCGS MS62 CAC

Tied for Finest Known. This fresh-to-the-market example is not only tied for the finest known 1879-CC half eagle (more on this below), it has a great backstory as well. Around six months ago, it walked into a coin store in Nevada raw, along with a group of otherwise unspectacular bullion-related gold. It was then sent to PCGS where it graded MS62 and was just sold to me. It is stone cold original with superb deep natural green-gold and orange-gold hues seen on the obverse and reverse. There are a few light ticks in the fields but the appearance of this piece is exceptional and this is one of the best CC gold coins from the 1870's of any denomiantion that I have seen. The previous finest known 1879-CC half eagle is a PCGS MS62 in the Battle Born collection that brought a staggering $69,000 when it was sold as Heritage 2/11: 4474. That coin, like this, was totally fresh and had been found in a group of common date gold coins in Europe. It is remarkable that the two finest known 1879-CC half eagles have been introduced to the numismatic community.