Variety 1. Early die state with no cud below the date.

The 1839-C half eagle is a numismatically significant issue. It is a one-year type and it is the first Liberty Head half eagle from this mint. This multiple level of demand has made the 1839-C (along with the 1838-C) perhaps the most popular half eagle from this mint. It is scarce and popular in AU grades and for most collectors, a nice AU50 to AU53 is essentially the best they can afford.

This bright, untoned example is a light yellow-gold in hue and it retains a good deal of natural luster. There are some scattered abrasions on both sides but none are deep or poorly situated. This is an issue for which good eye appeal is clearly a problem and this piece is better than average for the date and for the grade.

No slabbed AU53s have sold at auction in recent memory. A non-damaged PCGS AU50 brought $7,050 as Heritage 11/12: 4928 while a nice PCGS AU55 realized $9,775 as Heritage 8/11: 5512.

After years of neglect, collectors have come to cherish 1839-C half eagles and in my opinion, this issue has a higher “cool factor” than nearly any other issue from this mint, regardless of denomination.