Large D. Winter Variety 29-V. 1853-D half eagles are generally seen with two “looks.” On most coins, the strike is soft and the rims are beveled. On a smaller number, the strike is sharp and the rims are fully formed. The present example is clearly one of the sharpest 1853-D half eagles that I have seen and it is as sharp as you would expect a Philadelphia half eagle of this era to be. The coin is very frosty with nice medium yellow-gold and orange color. There are a few small marks near the bridge of Liberty’s nose; what appears to be a scratch from star two to star four on the left side of the obverse is mint-made. This is among the three or four most common dates in the Dahlonega half eagle series but it is rare in Uncirculated and very rare in MS63. There have been six auction records since 2000 in this grade but at least three are for the same coin. The last record of note is Superior 8/07: 953 (at $15,525) which was graded MS63 by PCGS. A word or two on value: in the recent Stack’s Bowers November auction, an 1854-D half eagle in MS64+ (admittedly a nicer coin than this 1853-D but a comparable date) sold for a strong $49,450 while a pair of 1852-C half eagles (which are similar in rarity to the 1853-D) graded MS63 and MS63+ by PCGS both brought between $18,000 and $19,000. After years of neglect, the market for very high grade C+D half eagles is finally turning around and collectors are beginning to recognize the great values that these coins represent.

Large Mintmark variety. Many examples of this date are softly struck but this piece is a nice exception to that rule with good central detail and more sharpness than usual at the edges. The surfaces are clean and satiny with natural light to medium green-gold color. As this is the most common half eagle from this mint, it would make a great type example for the collector seeking a single affordable but reasonably high grade piece from this mint. CAC has grade approved just two in this grade with three finer.

This coin has the look of an example from the hoard of 1856-D half eagles that is known but I don’t think it is from there as it does not have the hairlines that these pieces tend to show. What is does have is luster; lots and lots of luster. In fact, this piece totally deserves to be termed a slider as it looks like an MS61 to the naked eye but there is a small amount of friction in the obverse fields. The 1856-D remains one of the scarcer Dahlonega half eagles from the standpoint of overall rarity and this piece is a great alernatuive to a five-figure Uncirculated example.

The Civil War half eagles from 1862 to 1865 are all very rare due to low original mintage figures and heavy melting. The 1864 is no exception and there are probably no more than 50-75 survivors from the original mintage of 4,170 business strikes. This date is seldom available for sale and when it is, it tends to be in lower grades and with heavy abrasions that lead to poor eye appeal. This example is one of the two best that I have seen in the past five years, along with Heritage 9/11: 4316, graded AU55 by PCGS, that sold for $9,200. It it slightly prooflike with some frost in the fields and nice light orange-gold color that deepens to rose at the borders. The fields are a bit scuffy but not nearly as much as is typical for the date. There is a small amount of wear on the high spots and the overall eye appeal is above average for the date. The two most recent APRs for AU58 1864 half eagles (both are NGC graded) are $7,475; one for Heritage 3/09: 2954 and the other for Heritage 2006 ANA: 1874. The present example is a nicer coin and the market for rare, low mintage half eagles is clearly better now than it was a few years back. An exciting coin for the specialist.

This is the only example of this date in AU58 that has been approved by CAC. None graded higher have been approved.

BD-2, Rarity-2. I recently sold an NGC AU58/CAC example of this date and I like the present example more because it is so totally original. The surfaces have a lovely deep and vivid russet-gold color with subtle reddish undertones that add great appeal. The strike is sharp for the issue with full details at the borders and centers and there are no adjustment marks or other mint-made planchet issues. While actually fairly common in AU, most AU55 and AU58 1801 eagles have been harshly cleaned or processed at one time and have mediocre eye appeal as a result. This piece, in spite of a few old hairlines on the surfaces, is as choice as any AU example of this type that you are likely to find. For a number of years of years, I stopped buying Heraldic Eagle tens as I thought they were overvalued relative to the rarity. But I am now buying these coins again as I find them easy to sell due to their popularity. Let’s face it: it is hard not to be pretty mesmerized by a 200+ year old coin of this size and beauty, not to mention one with as much historic significance. A fantastic addition to an early gold set.

In 1838 and 1839, the first variety of the Liberty Head eagle was produced. It is easy to spot with a curved neckline on the portrait and the tip of the tiara very close to the sixth star on the obverse. The 1839/8 is the more available of the two issues but its status as a distinct type make it very popular with collectors. This dirty example has rich yellow gold undertones below russet highlights on the obverse and the reverse. This date saw intense circulation in local commerce and this coin is not an exception as it has a number of abrasions that indicate being used. But there is good detail and a significant amount of mint luster shows on both sides. This date becomes expensive in the AU grades so for many collectors, a nice PCGS EF40 to EF45 example is ideal for their gold coin type set.