ON HOLD - $5.00 - 1855-O PCGS AU53 CAC
ON HOLD - $5.00 - 1855-O PCGS AU53 CAC
Date…….1855-O
Grade…….PCGS AU53 CAC
PCGS Price Guide.…………7500
CDN Greysheet/CPG.….…7500
Population (PCGS).…….…..10/15
Population (NGC)..………….10/22
Population (CAC).….....….…2/4
Serial Number…….8264.53/37759144
PCGS Lookup Number…….8264
RARE PCGS/CAC 1855-O $5 GRADED AU53
Variety 1.
The 1855-O is the fourth rarest New Orleans half eagle. There are 90-110 known with 15-25 in the various AU grades. Properly graded AU53 to AU55s are genuinely rare and most in this range have been stripped, leaving them lifeless and devoid of character.
This was among my favorite half eagles in the Blue Hill Collection and it offers strong claims to an AU55 grade. It is original and lustrous with very attractive natural medium orange-gold hues. There are a few marks seen on the obverse; the most notable is located directly behind Liberty’s eye. I can’t recall having seen a nicer 1855-O half eagle in this grade.
No CAC approved AU53 examples of this date have ever been sold at auction. Only one PCGS AU53 has been auctioned in over two decades and it brought $5,170 as Stack’s 3/17: 2387. The last two PCGS AU55 examples to sell at auction broguht very strong prices with a CAC approved piece selling for $11,400 as Stacks Bowers 4/2022: 5077 and a non-CAC trading for $8,400 as Stacks Bowers 3/2021: 5917.
It might take years to find a comparable 1855-O half eagle at this price point and you can just about give up hope of finding a better one in AU!
CAC has approved 2 in this grade with 4 finer.
