1878-CC Liberty Head Half Eagle. Winter 1-A, the only known dies. EF Details--Edge Repaired (PCGS).

An engaging piece with subtle pale pink highlights on dominant deep honey-olive color. The surfaces are remarkably smooth for a CC-Mint gold coin that saw considerable commercial use, and there are really no marks or other blemishes in the prime focal areas. Only upon close inspection with a loupe will one discern evidence of smoothing here and there around the edge on both sides that explains the PCGS qualifier. Well defined overall with considerable sharpness to the more protected design elements. The mintage for the 1878-CC half eagle is just 9,045 pieces, a modest figure for the era, although typical of many 1870s Carson City Mint gold issues. CC-Mint expert Rusty Goe (2020) provides an estimate of just 75 to 85 coins extant in all grades, only 32 to 40 of which are at the EF and AU levels. Although NGC lists both an MS-63 and an MS-63 PL for this issue, Goe asserts that these are data entry errors on the part of the firm as "no such coin (or coins) exists to match any entry NGC has recorded in its census for a Mint State 1878-CC half eagle." The issue is unknown in Mint State, as such, confirming the significance of this more affordable circulated example for budget minded bidders.

PCGS# 8346. NGC ID: 25X5.

From the Fairmont Collection - CBL Set.