RARE AND IMPORTANT NGC MS61 1840-O HALF EAGLE

Narrow Mill; not designated by NGC.

The 1840-O is an important first-year issue with status as the premier half eagle made at the recently-opened New Orleans mint. It is overlooked in relation to its Southern counterparts the 1839-C and 1839-D and this is mostly because the 1840-O is more available overall. It is very rare in Uncirculated with around 10 or so known, mostly in the lowest Uncirculated grades.

It has been a while since I have offered an Uncirculated 1840-O half eagle and this is an especially nice example which hasn't been scrubbed or processed as have most. The surfaces are frosty with very few marks and nice natural green-gold and russet shades which are deeper on the obverse. The strike is as sharp as one could hope for and the overall eye appeal is well above-average for both the date and the grade.

The last APR's for an NGC MS61 1840-O were in 2014 when a pair of coins sold. A nice  piece--comparable to the present example--brought $9,988 as Heritage 4/14: 6334. A low-end piece with a detracting obverse scratch sold twice in 2014, one for $8,813 and again for $7,638.

This is an historically significant issue and a really nice piece which should fit well into an important New Orleans half eagle set.

FROM THE ESSEX COLLECTION