1842-O Liberty Head Half Eagle. Winter-1, the only known dies. AU-50 (ICG). Boldly to sharply defined over most design elements, this relatively appealing AU example exhibits light olive undertones to dominant medium gold patina. Wispy hairlines are noted for accuracy, as are a few marks on the obverse, yet this is still an uncommonly well preserved example of a challenging issue. After only the 1847-O, the 1842-O (16,400 pieces produced) is the rarest issue in the New Orleans Mint half eagle series. Doug Winter (<em>Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1839-1909</em>, 2018 edition) accounts for only 70-80 survivors in all grades, most of which are no better than VF. From the Collection of Steve Studer. From the Collection of Steve Studer.
