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I purchased this coin in an old NGC AU50 holder and thought it was a good candidate to upgrade to an AU53; maybe even an AU55. It didn't happen but I still think this coin shows an awful lot of luster and "body" for an AU50 and I have certainly seen inferior coins graded higher. A nice example of this tougher date.
Dark and dirty with a decidedly "Euro" look that is almost two-tone in appearance on account of the contrast between the fields and the high spots. There is a good deal of luster below the deep orange-gold color. Some marks in the left obverse field limit the grade. Not an easy date to find in grades higher than this and an issue seldom found with original color.
Along with the 1851-O, the 1846-O is one of the more overlooked and undervalued half eagles from this mint. It is actually available with about as much frequency as the far more expensive 1846-C. The 1846-O is scarce in the lower AU grades but it remains very affordable. This example is clean for the grade and well detailed with some medium green-gold color that is contrasted by natural reddish hues at the reverse border.
The 1838-C isn't the rarest half eagle from this mint (that would be the 1842-C Small Date) but it is certainly the most popular and this is clearly due to its twin status as a first-year-of-issue and a one-year type that features the Classic Head design. The 1838-C, even more than its counterpart the 1838-D, is a condition rarity. It is fairly available in VF and EF grades but it is genuinely scarce in properly graded AU50 to AU55 and extremely rare in Uncirculated. This nice example is one of the best 1838-C half eagles that I've offered for sale in quite some time. It is very lustrous with nice light green-gold and yellow color and enough "meat" to more than justify its AU50 grade by PCGS. As is common for this issue, the surfaces are noticeably abraded (the 1838-C half eagle is almost never seen with choice surfaces) but other than a small line on the face of Liberty, there are none that are really worthy of mention. Interestingly, there have been no auction prices realized for a PCGS AU50 example of the 1838-C half eagle since February 2003 and there are records of more than $10,000 for slabbed AU50's of this issue that date back as far as 1998. Branch mint coins that are numismatically significant are currently in strong demand and I expect that this nice 1838-C half eagle will prove interesting to many collectors.
Going back a few decades, the 1858 was regarded as one of the rarest Liberty Head eagles. In fact, it was among the more desirable Liberty Head gold issues of any denomination. As the eagle series became more collected and better researched, it was learned that other dates were rarer but the 1858 has, in recent years, sort of unfairly lost some of its mojo. Only 2,521 were struck and of these no more than four or five dozen are known. The present example is among the very few 1858 eagles I have seen that has original color and it is also far less abraded than usual. This coin has even medium to deep green-gold color with some darkening on the highlights which give it almost a sort of "Euro" look. There are scattered abrasions on the surfaces including a cluster in the left obverse but these are far fewer than normal for the date. Both sides have some dirt lodged in the protected areas and there is a clump located above the AT in STATES. There have only been two AU50 examples sold at auction in the last bdecade (both graded by NGC) and they both brought $10,350 in 2005 and 2008, respectively. This example is considerably nicer and the market for this series is much stronger in 2012. A very important coin for the advanced specialist.
Strong mintmark variety. The 1854-C is often seen with a weak or virtually invisible mintmark and examples with sharp mintmarks are very scarce. This issue is downright rare in AU50 and better with original surfaces and color and this coin is one of the few I have seen as such in many years. With the exception of star two on the obverse, the strike is far above average for the date and the surfaces are choice with a good deal of luster seen below a rich overtone of green-gold and amber. Some dirt is visible within the lettering on the reverse which is indicative of this piece's originality. I sold this coin to the former owner in an NGC AU53 holder and he downgraded it to AU50 when he sent it to PCGS for a crossover. I still think the coin is a solid AU53 and it wouldn't even look out of place in a 55 holder. A rare opportunity for the Charlotte half eagle collector to acquire a choice example of this scarce, undervalued issue.
Ex RYK "Dirty Gold" collection.
This coin would grade at least AU55 but it has been net graded by PCGS due to the presence of a small natural planchet flaw on the reverse at the second S in STATES. It has lovely rich natural color with warm amber-gold hues that are similr in hue and appearance on both sides. The strike is as sharp as any that I can recall on this date with no weakness at the very centers as typically seen. As a date, the 1846-D is relatively available in the lower to middle AU grades but there are very few pieces which show the color that this piece has and even fewer with the aforemetioned definition of strike.
Small Date variety. This is the more available of the two varieties of half eagle made at the Dahlonega mint in 1842; the 1842-D Large Date is rare in all grades. This piece has wonderful color with a crescent of electric blue and purple at the left; the reverse shows similar but less intense hues at the right border and outlining the eagle. This color is unquestionably real and it is likely the result of this piece having either been stored in a leather pouch or an old Wayte Raymond-style coin album. The surfaces are fairly abraded as is often seen on 1842-D Small Date half eagles but if you like colorfully toned southern branch mint gold coins I'm willing to bet that you'll overlook these abrasions due to the dramatic color. I'm asking around a 10-15% premium for the color and, for the right collector, this is a going to seem like a real bargain!
This issue is popular as a first-year-of-type for the denomination and from this mint as well. It is considerably scarcer than the 1851-C, 1852-C and 1853-C and is second only to the 1850-C in terms of overall rarity from this mint for Type One dollars. This coin is a full AU55 that has been conservativekly graded by PCGS, probably on account of a small mark behind the lower portion of Liberty's bun. It is well detailed with good luster and nice light greenish-gold color. Unlike many 1849-C dollars, this piece has good balance between the obverse and the reverse. I highly recommend this piece for the new collector of Southern gold.
