The 1854-O is the second most available No Motto half eagle from this mint after the 1844-O. However, it is noticeably overlooked in higher grades and it is very rare in full Mint State with probably no more than seven or eight known. I have placed the two finest known examples (a PCGS MS63 and an NGC MS63) in tightly-held private collections and this example is the best I have owned in at least three or four years.

This fully “new” example shows a remarkable strike for the date with both sides completely defined at the centers. The surfaces are clean and free of significant marks which is unusual for this date as it tends to come with heavy abrasions. Both sides show nice medium green-gold color which is totally right for the date and are indicative of the surfaces having never been processed.

No PCGS MS61 examples of this date have sold since Stack’s 6/09: 1014 which brought $9,775. In January 2007, a PCGS MS61 sold for $11,500 in the Morgan Collection, auctioned by Stack’s.

In many of the sets of New Orleans half eagles which I have built over the years, the 1854-O proved to be one of the more difficult issues to find.