1845 Liberty Head Half Eagle. AU-58+ (PCGS). A sharply struck and richly original example with nearly full mint frost. Dominant olive-gold color with blended honey-orange throughout. The 1845 is one of the highest mintage half eagles from the 1840s with 417,099 circulation strikes produced. Well worn survivors are plentiful by the standards of the early No Motto Liberty Head series, although in the finest AU and all Mint State grades the 1845 is surprisingly rare. This is true of virtually all Philadelphia Mint half eagles from the 1840s, as these coins saw active commercial use in an era when there was essentially no numismatic interest in preserving circulation strikes. It is truly remarkable, therefore, that the present example not only survived in nearly Mint State, but that it did so with such original, attractive surfaces. PCGS# 8223. NGC ID: 25TB. From the Fairmont Collection - Rhone Set.
