POPULAR 1838-D HALF EAGLE GRADED EF45 BY PCGS

HM-1, R-3.

Like its scarcer counterpart, the 1838-C, this half eagle is popular for its dual status as a one-year type and as a first-year-of-issue. Nice collector grade pieces aren’t offered for sale with any degree of regularity and when I do offer one, it is usually quickly snapped up.

This is an above-average coin for the grade with medium green-gold color and some deeper accents on the obverse highlights and at the reverse border. The surfaces are a bit scuffy with just two things worthy of description: an obverse mark midway between star two and Liberty’s mouth and a reverse scratch through the first T in STATES. I would describe this coin as “not quite choice enough to sticker at CAC, but still nicer than most of the available coins at this price point.”

Since the Summer of 2010, there are just two auction records for this date in PCGS EF45. The most recent was in March 2017 for $7,638 (the coin was very scrubby) and August 2015 for $8,225 (the coin was decent but had edge damage at 3:00 on the reverse).

Unless you are prepared to spend a five-figure sum, this is likely the nicest 1838-D half eagle you’ll encounter.

From the Sunnyvale Collection

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