1858-C Liberty Head Half Eagle. Winter-1, the only known dies. AU Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS). Sharply defined overall, and uncommonly so for a lightly circulated C-mint five, this piece also sports appealing medium honey-rose patina. Areas of shallow pitting, mostly in the fields, explain the PCGS qualifier; they are not too distracting in hand, although a somewhat "grainy" appearance to the surfaces is noted. The 1858-C is one of the more readily obtainable Charlotte Mint half eagles, and it has long been popular among mintmarked gold type collectors. Even so, we caution bidders that survivors from a mintage of 38,856 coins are scarce in an absolute sense. Douglas Winter (<em>Gold Coins of the Charlotte Mint: 1838-1861</em>, 2008 edition) estimates that only 275 to 375 examples are extant in all grades. From the Monterrey Collection. From the Monterrey Collection.
