BD-1, Rarity-2. The 1813 is the single most available date of the Capped Head Left large planchet half eagle type that was produced from 1813 through 1829. But “common” is a relative word and the 1813 is still a hard coin to locate with fewer than 1,000 extent in all grades. As one might expect, this issue becomes rarer as the grading scale is ascended and in MS64 it is a truly scarce coin with Gems being very rare to extremely rare. This specific coin is among the best 1813 half eagles that have come onto the market in many years. It has superb deep green-gold and yellowish colors atop very clean and very frosty surfaces. If you are familar with this issue you know that strike can be a problem and this piece is nicely detailed with just the slightest amount of weakness on the rims as typically seen. One ultra-fine obverse hairline narrowly removes this coin from the Gem level and a $100,000+ price tag. The last APR for an MS64 is Heritage 10/11: 4875 (graded by NGC) that sold for $46,000 while the last MS65 is Heritage 8/11: 7539 (also graded by NGC) that sold for a reasonable $92,000. If you are a collector who is putting together a meaningful type set of early gold and you are lookig for a high quality example of this important issue, give this 1813 half eagle some serious consideration.

I can’t think of a Dahlonega issue that is more popular than the 1838-D half eagle. It is the first coin of this denomination made at this mint and it is a one-year type with the popular Classic Head design and the presence of the mintmark on the obverse. It is not a major rarity but it is an issue that appears on nearly every Dahlonega specialists’ want list; as well as on many non-D mint collectors as well. This moderately worn example is given above-average eye appeal by its rich reddish gold color that outlines the devices on the obverse and reverse. As is typical for the issue, there are some scattered marks in the fields. The originality of this piece is further demonstrated by the presence of dirt in the protected areas of the obverse. It has been quite a while since I have had an affordable, middle grade example of the 1838-D half eagle in stock and I expect this coin to sell quickly.

This problem-free, evenly worn example features dramatic natural reddish-gold color on the obverse and the reverse. This color is not quite dramatic enough to suggest that the coin was stored in a leather pouch but the depth of the color is unusual and the subsequent eye appeal is off the charts for a coin graded EF40.

D over D mintmark variety. 1846-D half eagles are known with a normal mintmark and a spectacular D over D that ranks as one of the great mintmark blunders of the era. The 1846-D/D is the more available of the two and there are around ten or so known in Uncirculated grades. This example is well struck and very frosty with lovely light green-gold and yellowish colors on the obverse and reverse. There are a few small ticks in the fields and a shallow planchet void on Liberty’s face that is hard to see without light magnification. The last PCGS MS61 example of this variety to sell at auction was Goldberg 5/08: 4668, at $10,350, which was not approved by CAC and which, in my opinion, was far inferior to the present coin. This is an excellent opportunity for the advanced collector to obtain a Condition Census example of one of the neatest varieties ever produced at a branch mint.

This is the only 1846-D/D half eagle in any Uncirculated grade to have been approved by CAC.

The 1848-C half eagle is reasonably available in lower grades but it becomes scarce in properly graded AU and it is very rare in Uncirculated. This is a date that is not often seen with original color and surfaces. This particular example has attractive deep green-gold hues with some reddish overtones noted on the obverse. The strike is better than average for the issue while the surfaces are clean but for two small digs near stars eleven and twelve. With really low quality EF examples of Charlotte half eagles selling for $2,000-2,250 this nice AU50 seems like a great value at less than $3,000.

The pricing on this date has become very compacted as an AU55 coin is now worth just a 25-35% premium over a decent quality Extremely Fine. This, in my opinion, makes a nice AU55 like this a good value at current levels. This piece shows strong overall detail and nice natural reddish-gold and green colors. There are some scattered marks visible including a few in the left obverse field and a bar-like depression (mint made?) on the left side of the truncation. The 1852-C is one of the most common half eagles from this mint, making it an affordable choice for a type set.