1862 Liberty Head Half Eagle. AU-58 (PCGS).
A vivid and beautiful example of a seldom offered Civil War era gold issue. Bathed in reddish-gold and deep orange colors, both sides also sport intense mint bloom in a semi-prooflike finish. Near-fully defined from a sharply executed strike. The suspension of gold specie payments by Eastern banks in December 1861 resulted in an immediate reduction in half eagle output at the Philadelphia Mint. Whereas the facility delivered a record (for the era) total of 688,084 circulation strikes in 1861, the mintage for the 1862 is just 4,430 pieces. The 1862 is a highly elusive issue with PCGS CoinFacts estimating that fewer than 100 coins are extant in all grades. Particularly rare in Mint State, the significance of this superior quality and highly attractive AU-58 cannot be overstated.
PCGS# 8292. NGC ID: 25VP.
PCGS Population: 7; 6 finer, just four of which are Mint State (MS-62 finest).