The 1847-D is sort of a "secret date" as far as knowledgeable Dahlonega half eagle collectors go. It is generally lumped with such common issues as the 1849-D, 1852-D, 1853-D and 1854-D but it is many times scarcer, especially in higher grades. As with the quarter eagle of this date, when the 1847-D half eagle is found nice, it tends to have some of the nicest color of any Dahlonega half eagle. And this example has, in my opinion, especially nice color. The obverse and the reverse are both toned in lovely deep green-gold hues with fiery orange-gold highlights which become quite dramatic as the coin is tilted towards a light source. The strike is as sharp as one is likely to find on a Dahlonega gold coin of any date and the surfaces show an acceptable number of abrasions for the grade. One abrasion is worthy of mention: a small reeding mark (from contact with another coin) in the right obverse field near star eleven.