THE ONLY AU55 1863-S HALF EAGLE WITH CAC APPROVAL

If you believe the certified population figures put forth for this issue, you'd assume that the 1863-S half eagle is not a rarity in the higher range of About Uncirculated. This is clearly not the case and there are only seven auction records for this date in AU55 from 1999 to the present.

Of the 17,000 struck, there are an estimated 60-70 known with the average grade in the VF35 to EF45 range. There are probably not more than eight or nine in AU as well as one or two in Uncirculated.

This is the nicest AU55 1863-S half eagle that I can recallhaving seen and it is one of the few with natural color. The detail is excellent and the surfaces are choice save for a small amount of chatter in the left obverse.

The present coin is the only PCGS AU55 to be sold at auction since June 2004; see below for the full pedigree.

The only 1863-S half eagle graded higher than this was an NGC AU58+ which brought $30,550 as Lot 4343 in the Heritage 2015 ANA sale.

CAC has approved this one coin in AU55 with none finer.

Ex Heritage 4/16: 4783, where iit brought $21,807.

From the HandH Collection.