Bass Collection pedigree.

The 1847-O is the rarest half eagle ever produced at the New Orleans mint. Only 12,000 were struck and there an estimated 50 or so known with most of these in lower grades. In AU, this is a rare coin and properly graded AU55 examples are very rare. I know of just two Uncirculated 1847-O half eagles and both are off the market in tightly-held collections.

This is one of then better examples of this date I have owned and there are not many high quality 1847-O half eagles that haven’t passed through my hands. It shows pleasing natural green-gold color with splashes of reddish-gold at the obverse border and, to a lesser extent, on the reverse. The strike is excellent for the date and there are not many abrasions seen in the fields. There are a few mint-made strikethroughs; the largest is at star two while a few smaller ones can be seen at the final two stars. Unlike nearly all surviving 1847-O half eagles, this piece hasn’t been dipped or processed and it is clearly in the Condition Census.

The last AU55 to sell at auction was an NGC coin offered as Bowers and Merena 7/06: 1598; it realized $11,500.

As collecting New Orleans gold has become more and more popular, the legend of this date has grown and it is now well-regarded even outside the specialist community.

Ex Bass I: 985 (Bowers and Merena 10/99), Stacks 2/68: 300