1849 $5 California Gold Half Eagle - Moffat & Co. PCGS XF45

Ex. Heritage ANA Signature Sale, August 2016 Lot #6295 where it realized $6,463. In the catalog, it was described as:

"1849 $5 Moffat & Co. Five Dollar XF45 PCGS. K-4, R.5. Moffat & Co. established a reputation for honesty and reliability among the early private coiners in California. Later, they were chosen to run the U.S. Assay Office in San Francisco. Like most specimens of this issue, the details of Liberty's curls are weakly struck, but little actual wear is present. The lightly abraded orange-gold surfaces retain significant traces of original mint luster. Listed on page 391 of the 2017 Guide Book. Population: 16 in 45, 52 finer (6/16)."

The PCGS Collectors Universe published price for the issue at that time was $6,450. Today, the published price is $9,500 - a price increase which truly emphasizes the collector demand for this great relic of the California Gold Rush.