The 1865 is the third rarest Civil War eagle from the Philadelphia after the 1863 and the 1864. Of the 3,980 struck, around 50 are known with most in the EF40 to EF45 range. This date is unique in Uncirculated and it is very rare in the mid-range of About Uncirculated with likely fewer than a dozen accounted for.

This bright, frosty example has some flashes of prooflike luster in the protected areas and it is very “meaty” for the grade with little in the way of visible wear. As on nearly all known 1865 eagles, the surfaces on this coin are a bit on the ticky side but these marks are not as deep or detracting as usual for the issue.

Heritage 1/14: 6880, graded AU53 by PCGS and showing funky reddish-orange toning, realized $18,800 while Stacks Bowers 9/13: 3450 brought $15,900.

Civil War gold has become extremely popular with collectors and really rare issues such as the 1865 eagle have experienced excellent price appreciation. That said, I still think the 1865 is a good value when compared to the suddenly very expensive 1864 eagle.