Old “fatty” holder.

The 1846-C is the second rarest half eagle from this mint after the 1842-C Small Date and it is among the rarest issues from this mint in higher grades. It is not often seen in grades above AU50 and properly graded AU58′s are extremely scarce.

This frosty slider was graded many years ago and it is basically a “new” coin with just a few too many small ticks on the surfaces to grade MS60 or above. That said, it is a lot of coin for the grade with original skin and nice yellow-gold and light greenish color. The strike is a bit soft at the central reverse as often seen on this issue and the curl below the ear of Liberty is a bit soft as well. This piece has clearly never been dipped or processed and it is extremely appealing for the date and grade.

The last APR for an NGC AU58 example of the 1846-C half eagle was Stack’s Bowers 11/11: 9484 which sold cheaply at $5,750. A PCGS AU58, ex Heritage 3/10: 2282, brought $6,900. The present example is clearly finer than either of these two.

No, this coin is not as spectacular as the PCGS/CAC MS64 1846-C half eagle that I just listed on my website for $75,000. But it is great value at less than one-tenth of the price.