1843-O $5 Liberty Head Half Eagle, Large Letters PCGS MS-62 CAC

CAC. This New Orleans Mint half eagle retains full mint luster on both sides in a rich satin to softly frosted texture. The original surfaces display a pleasing blend of golden-apricot and pale olive, accented by splashes of copper-violet and pink along portions of the margins on an otherwise yellow-gold coin. The strike is soft in isolated areas due to die state, yet most features remain sharp, enhancing the coin’s visual appeal. Carefully preserved and free of even a single distracting blemish, this PQ example leaves little separating it from a Choice Mint State designation.

Mintage for the Large Letters variety is believed to be 82,000 pieces, compared with just under 20,000 for the scarcer Small Letters issue. Large Letters examples are most often found in EF and lower grades, making this attractive upper-end Mint State coin a significant opportunity for Liberty Head gold specialists.

Mint State examples of this variety are rare in absolute terms. Ed Milas owned two NGC MS64 pieces that appeared in Stack’s May 1995 sale (one of which realized $31,900; he had acquired it in Mid America’s August 1991 auction, then graded NGC MS63, for $42,900). James A. Stack’s example was described as “Choice Brilliant Uncirculated,” while the Eliasberg coin (graded MS63/MS60 and distinct from the present piece) and the absence of any example in the Norweb Collection further underscore the variety’s elusiveness. Harry Bass’s coin graded only NGC AU55. For the specialist in southern mint gold, this remains a very rare and important opportunity.

Population: 3 in 62, 4 finer - and it's been 4 finer for over 13 years - none added/none subtracted!