1859-C $5 MS(PCGS#8281)

August 2021 ANA U.S. Coins Auction

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

6070

Grade

VF30

Price

2,280

Lot Description

1859-C Liberty Head Half Eagle. Winter-1, the only known dies. Die State II. VF-30 (PCGS). Deep honey-gold patina with a tinge of rich reddish-rose iridescence well blended over both sides. The strike is characteristic of this issue, with the obverse generally sharp but the reverse a bit soft with a somewhat "fuzzy" appearance to the eagle. Writing in the 2008 edition of the reference Gold Coins of the Charlotte Mint: 1838-1861, Doug Winter suggests that the reverse die for this issue may have received only one (as opposed to two) impressions from the hub, leaving the detail incomplete. From a mintage of 31,847 pieces, and a desirable candidate for today's Southern gold collectors. Provenance: From the Fairmont Collection. PCGS# 8281. NGC ID: 25VC.