1861 $5 Liberty Head Half Eagle NGC MS61

Civil War Era gold for your collection!

Here’s an attractive piece to add to your collection. NGC has graded 145 specimens of the 1861 $5 as MS61 with 138 finer. Collectors Universe prices this issue at $2,350.00 in MS61. In total, both PCGS and NGC have graded 4,386 original examples of the 1861 $5, which, in relation to its substantial mintage of 688,084, is not much. This indicates that the 1861 $5 piece was the subject of much hoarding during the Civil War and melting down later in the 19^th century.

The Second Philadelphia Mint, where this attractive piece was produced in 1861. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.