1842 $5 Liberty Head Half Eagle, Small Letters PCGS VF30

This issue is quite rare, for the 1842 Small Letters splits its mintage of 27,578 with its Large Letters sister, making it elusive in all grades. PCGS has graded only 50 of this issue. Of those, there are 5 in VF30 with 41 finer. Such early Philadelphia Mint Liberty head half eagles are underappreciated in the marketplace, especially the 1842. This date appears at auctions just about half as often as the more cherished Charlotte and Dahlonega issues.  

Reverse comparison of letters, courtesy of PCGS Coin Facts website.

Here's an interesting aside for collectors: Did you know that the Liberty head half eagles were the only coin to be struck at every single U.S. mint? So, if you would like to put together a type set of Liberty head $5 half eagles, then a great project would be to acquire one of each minted in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, New Orleans, San Francisco, Carson City, and Denver! Imagine putting together that unique set of seven coins from seven different mints. Wouldn't that be a great numismatic accomplishment? And this rare Philadelphia piece could be part of that set.