1838-D $5 Classic Head Half Eagle PCGS AU58+

This is a specimen of considerable rarity, one that will give the new owner prestige in the world of numismatics. Gold specialists understand the importance of this specimen, especially in the rare and attractive grade of AU58+. Imagine how this important coin, with its beautiful frosty luster, would look in your collection. Don't let it get away. 

Out of its original mintage of 20,583, 2 have been graded AU58+ by PCGS, with only 10 finer. Doug Winter writes, "The 1838-D half eagle is a very desirable issue. It is the first coin of this denomination struck at the Dahlonega Mint and the only Classic Head half eagle produced at this facility .... its popularity makes it one of the most highly valued Dahlonega half eagles." This example would be perfect for a set of the most important U.S. gold coins.

Students at North Georgia College practice a military drill in front of the former Dahlonega Mint in 1877 or 1878. The college used the building from 1873 until it burned down in 1878.

Up until the creation of the $5 Classic Head half eagle in 1834, foreign silver, underweight foreign gold, and fractional banknotes served as money in everyday U.S. commerce. Contemporary U.S. gold coins--with a bullion value in international markets that surpassed their face value in silver--were continuously the object of melting during the pre-1834 period. The one gold coin that realized the most elimination through melting was the Capped Head half eagle of 1813-1834. The Mint Act of 1834 dramatically altered that practice, producing gold coins that were reduced in weight so that they would circulate--which had not happened since 1795.