1845-O $5.00 NGC AU58 CAC

The 1845-O half eagle is most similar in rarity to the 1846-O. It has an original mintage figure of 41,000 and of the few hundred known, most are in the VF-EF range. It is a scarce date in AU55, a rare one in AU58 and a very rare one in Uncirculated with around six or seven known. This piece is bright and lustrous with some pale reddish toning forming on the obverse border and across the reverse. There is just a small amount of wear seen on the high spots and minor scuffs in the fields. There hasn't been a non-shipwreck example of this date in AU58 sold at auction since May 2008 and it is a good value as an Uncirculated example, if available, would sell for at least double the amount of a slider. CAC has approved four 1845-O half eagles in AU58 with just two finer.

1864 $5.00 NGC AU58 CAC

The Civil War half eagles from 1862 to 1865 are all very rare due to low original mintage figures and heavy melting. The 1864 is no exception and there are probably no more than 50-75 survivors from the original mintage of 4,170 business strikes. This date is seldom available for sale and when it is, it tends to be in lower grades and with heavy abrasions that lead to poor eye appeal. This example is one of the two best that I have seen in the past five years, along with Heritage 9/11: 4316, graded AU55 by PCGS, that sold for $9,200. It it slightly prooflike with some frost in the fields and nice light orange-gold color that deepens to rose at the borders. The fields are a bit scuffy but not nearly as much as is typical for the date. There is a small amount of wear on the high spots and the overall eye appeal is above average for the date. The two most recent APRs for AU58 1864 half eagles (both are NGC graded) are $7,475; one for Heritage 3/09: 2954 and the other for Heritage 2006 ANA: 1874. The present example is a nicer coin and the market for rare, low mintage half eagles is clearly better now than it was a few years back. An exciting coin for the specialist.

This is the only example of this date in AU58 that has been approved by CAC. None graded higher have been approved.

1864 $1.00 PCGS MS67 CAC

A total of 5,900 business strike gold dollars were coined in 1864. Around 2-3% of the original mintage survives today and many of these come from overseas sources where they were shipped during the Civil War to pay foreign creditors. This particular example is among the finest known and has the sort of color and appearance that are suggestive that it may have come from the Virgil Brand estate. Both sides show dramatic rose, orange and yellow hues in a swirling configuration. The strike is bold and the surfaces are very clean. Some light clashmarks can be seen on the obverse and the central reverse displays a few very minor ticks. CAC has approved just this one 1864 gold dollar in MS67 with a single coin better; a PCGS MS68 that sold for $27,600 as Heritage 8/11: 7412. Here is a coin that has it all: superb appearance, real numismatic rarity and historic significance due to its Civil War date.

1880-O $10.00 NGC AU58

Lightly worn and very lustrous with bright yellow-gold color that has some moderate orange-gold accents. There is some minor friction seen on the obverse while the reverse is not only free of wear but it grades at least MS61 to MS62 on its own and is spectacular. For many years, the 1880-O was a true sleeper in the eagle series and I touted how undervalued it was. Collectors finally began to listen to me and prices have risen but still not to the point that this date's true rarity merits. There were just 9,200 examples struck and unlike the New Orleans eagles from the 1890's, the 1880-O actually saw circulation. Today, it is extremely rare in Uncirculated and rare in properly graded AU55 to AU58. I saw two other AU58 examples of this date at the recent FUN show. One was an extremely low end coin for the grade which was priced to me at $5,000 while the other was a nice crusty "Euro" coin priced at a strong $5,500. This choice, lustrous piece is a good value for the O Mint eagle collector.

1857-C $1.00 PCGS AU55 CAC

Last month I sold a beautiful NGC AU58 CAC example of this date and commented that it had been years since I'd handled an example of this date with totally original surfaces. I was surprised that at the FUN show I was able to find a second unadulterated 1857-C dollar, this one graded AU55 by PCGS and nearly as nice as the one I just sold. It shows the typical irregular planchet seen on nearly all examples with some natural roughness on the edges but the strike is as sharp as on any example I have seen with a full N in UNITED and a sharp 8 in the date. The surfaces are covered with deep green-gold color with some darker hues in the obverse fields. A good amount of luster can be seen as well. In the last five years there have been exactly two PCGS AU55 examples of this date sold at auction: Heritage 1/08: 3684 which brought $6,900 (it was in an old green label holder and it was an AU58 in my opinion) and Heritage 1/07: 5327 which realized $4,083 (it was nice but not as choice as the present example). There are probably fewer than ten 1857-C dollars known that are fully original and this is a rare opportunity for the informed specialist.

1859-S $20.00 NGC AU50 CAC

Choice and high end for the grade with deep natural orange-gold and reddish hues that are contrasted by darker hues on the rims. A small reeding mark on the hair keeps this coin from grading AU53 to AU55. The 1859-S double eagle is a reasonably obtainable issue in this grade but it is hard to find with natural color and without deep, detracting abrasions.

1890-CC $20.00 NGC AU58 CAC

If you were going to select an issue that would make the best Type Three type coin from the CC mint, the 1890-CC would be a great candidate. It isn't scarce but it isn't the most common date either. It tends to be better made than other dates from this era and it has nice color on the few occasions it is found with natural unadulterated surfaces. This lustrous slider is semi-reflective with pleasing rich orange-gold color that is contrasted by deeper highlights. There are a few scrapes seen on the fields and the neck of Liberty but the amount of actual wear is very slight. An MS61 example of this date that is CAC-quality will cost you at least $10,000-11,000 and I'd rather save the amount you'd spend on this AU58 and use it to buy another coin as well.

CAC has approved fourteen examples in AU58 with a dozen higher than this.

1834 Plain 4 $5.00 NGC AU58 CAC

Classic Head. I always try to buy a nice Choice AU Classic Head half eagle or two at every major coin show I attend and at this year's edition of the FUN show, I purchased this example. This lustrous slider is instantly recognizable by a swatch of coppery-gold color on the obverse border from 3:00 to 6:00. It is lightly worn and frosty with some light scuffing in the fields but no real wear on the relief details. As is typical for the date, the central details are not fully defined but the overall strike is better than expected for the issue. I've said this before but it bears repeating: I am constantly amazed that you can purchase a nice quality half eagle from the mid-1830's for under $2,500. Buy this coin for a type set or, better yet, make it your first coin in a date run of Classic Head half eagles from 1834 through 1838.

1861-S $20.00 PCGS AU55

Old Green Label Holder. Housed in an old PCGS holder and very choice for the grade but not quite, in my opinion, an AU58 by today's standards. This piece is probably from a European source as it exhibits rich natural orange-gold color with some darker highlights. A small semi-circular scrape below stars four through six keeps this coin from grading higher but it is choice, frosty and original. The 1861-S is a scarce Civil War date that dramatically increases in value as it climbs up the grading scale.