Like its Eagle counterpart, the 1873-S half eagle is a true condition rarity in its series. There are an estimated 100-125 known and this issue is not hard to find in VF, EF and even the lower AU grades. But it becomes extremely scarce in properly graded AU55 and AU58′s are essentially the best available. I have never seen or heard of an Uncirculated 1873-S half eagle and know of just two or three in AU58.

This is the first example of this date I have offered in such a high grade and it is a very high end slider with natural light rose and orange-gold color over lustrous surfaces. The strike is sharp and even the tiny S mintmark is fully visible to the naked eye. There are a few light marks in the left obverse field including a vertical scrape along Liberty’s throat but this piece lacks the dense abrasions seen on most higher grade pieces.

The only auction record for an AU58 example is Heritage 7/05: 7548, graded AU58 by NGC. which brought $5,750 back when virtually no one was collecting San Francisco half eagles by date.

This is likely the finest available to collectors and it is an important coin for the advanced specialist.

CAC has approved two in this grade with none finer; only eight have been approved for the date.