1876-S Liberty Head Half Eagle. MS-61 (PCGS). CAC. As one of only three Mint State examples of this issue certified, and the first to appear at auction in the modern numismatic market, here is an incredibly significant offering from the Fairmont-Hendricks Set. It is a gorgeous coin featuring lively, frosty mint luster that blends with vivid golden-rose color. The strike is impressively full throughout, and with few marks of note the in hand appearance is superior at the assigned grade level.<p>The 1876-S is one in a line up of elusive San Francisco Mint fives from this decade. Just 4,000 coins were struck, the vast majority of which have long since been lost to circulation. Survivors are few and far between, and most are well worn, if not also impaired. Even the National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institution can only muster a VG-10 for this issue. Until the last decade or so, the Garrett specimen in NGC MS-65 was the only Uncirculated 1876-S half eagle known. The current <em>PCGS Population Report</em> lists an MS-60 along with this newcomer to the market graded MS-61, and the only example to have been approved by CAC. A formidable condition rarity and a lovely example, this coin would serve as a focal point in the finest gold cabinet. From the Fairmont Collection-Hendricks Set.
