1855-C Liberty Head Half Eagle. Winter-Unlisted. Late Die State. AU-55 (PCGS).This charming honey-gold and warm rose example offers undeniable originality and exceptional eye appeal for a lightly circulated C-Mint half eagle. Softly frosted surfaces are lustrous for the grade with sharp striking detail to virtually all features. The 1855-C is a median rarity in the Charlotte Mint five-dollar gold series in terms of total number of coins believed extant. Well worn and/or impaired coins are the norm among survivors from a mintage of 39,789 pieces. This aesthetically appealing, problem free AU represents an important bidding opportunity for advanced Southern gold collectors.<p>The 2008 Winter reference on Charlotte Mint gold coinage reports only a single die pairing for this issue, the latest state of which displays a full cud break below the denomination FIVE D. The present example, however, was struck from a late state of a different reverse die with a bold, prominent cud break at the right border outside the letters AMER in AMERICA. The first 1855-C half eagle of this variety that your cataloger (JLA) can ever recall seeing, and likely very rare.PCGS# 8262. NGC ID: 25UR.PCGS Population: 17; 16 finer, just six of which are Mint State (MS-63 finest).From the Fairmont Collection - CAG Set.
