Search: 8282

Auction 336 | Lot 1062 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 MS63 PCGS. Medium mintmark. Variety 36-CC. (per Doug Winter's second edition and revised attribution system). Same reverse as on the 1858-D just offered. This is the more common of the two medium mintmark varieties. There is also a large mintmark variety, which is very rare.

RARITY INFORMATION: With just 10,366 pieces struck, the 1859-D has the second lowest mintage figure of any Dahlonega half eagle. This is a fairly scarce coin in all grades and it is usually found in Extremely Fine. There are an estimated 28-32 examples believed extant today in AU and another seven to eight in Uncirculated. A few very nice examples are accounted for including a superb PCGS MS64 in the Duke's Creek Collection that is Ex: Pittman, Melish, and Ten Eyck. The Green Pond coin is tied with two others as the second finest known and these three are the total number graded as such by PCGS as of November 2003.

STRIKE: The 1859-D half eagle is often seen with a below average strike. This coin shows much better detail than usual. The obverse is very sharp except for the curl below the ear of Liberty and star 2, which is flat at its center. The reverse is very sharp and has virtually complete definition. As on all 1859-D half eagles, there is some beveling noted on the edges.

SURFACES: On both the obverse and reverse, there are some shallow, scattered marks noted. A small scrape at star 4 and a few marks above the beak are the most readily visible. This date is often found with particularly deep abrasions, and the surfaces on this piece are quite a bit nicer than usually encountered.

LUSTER: This is a very lustrous coin. It is frosty with a somewhat more grainy texture in the protected areas. Most examples show poor luster, making this piece above average in this respect.

COLORATION: Attractive rich medium orange-gold color can be seen on the obverse and reverse. This color appears to be original and it is similar (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS63

Auction Ended

Jan 10, 2004

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Sold For: $27,600.00

Auction 1136 | Lot 2189 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS63 PCGS. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS63

Auction Ended

Jan 10, 2010

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Sold For: $27,600.00

Auction 1125 | Lot 1670 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS63 NGC. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS63

Auction Ended

May 31, 2009

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Sold For: $23,000.00

Auction 1201 | Lot 6696 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS62 NGC. Variety 44-HH (formerly 36-CC). (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS62

Auction Ended

Jan 12, 2014

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Sold For: $19,975.00

Auction 1381 | Lot 3316 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 PCGS. Winter 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS61

Auction Ended

Mar 2, 2025

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Sold For: $19,200.00

Auction 208 | Lot 7700 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 MS 63 PCGS. One of the single nicest coins in this memorable run of Dahlonega half eagles. With the exception of some minor weakness at the centers, the strike is quite sharp. Both sides are lustrous and show superb, natural, medium orange-gold coloration. The surfaces are clean and undisturbed. This exceptional coin is, to the best of our knowledge, the second finest known 1859-D half eagle.

The 1859-D has the second lowest mintage figure of any half eagle from this mint. It is similar in overall rarity to the 1858-D but is somewhat scarcer in high grades. There an estimated 25 to 30 pieces known in AU grades, as well as seven to nine in Uncirculated. The finest of these are as follows:

1. Duke's Creek Collection, Ex: David Akers' John Jay Pittman Collection, Part One (October, 1997): 1022; Abe Kosoff's Melish Sale (April, 1956): 2103, B. Max Mehl's Ten Eyck Collection (February, 1922): 225. Graded MS 64 by PCGS.

2. This coin, Ex: Chestatee Collection; Stack's/RARCOA/Akers 11/95: 1469 (where it sold for $22,000); Stack's 5/95: 516 ($33,500); Ed Milas; Stack's session of Auction '84: 1351 ($15,400); Arthur Montgomery Collection. Graded MS 63 by PCGS.

3. New York Collection. Graded MS 63 by PCGS.

4. Spectrum Numismatics inventory, 5/99. Graded MS 63 by PCGS.

5. Sotheby's 7/97: 367. Graded MS 61 by PCGS.
From the Chestatee Collection. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS63

Auction Ended

Aug 16, 1999

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Sold For: $17,250.00

Auction 344 | Lot 6218 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 PCGS. Variety 36-CC (per Doug Winter's second edition and revised attribution system). The more available of the two Medium D mintmark varieties. This radiant orange-gold Half Eagle is surprisingly free from mentionable abrasions, aside from a wispy slide mark on Liberty's cheek and a faint luster graze in the left obverse field. The strike is bold for the Dahlonega Mint, since any weakness is minor and is generally limited to the centers. The dies are slightly rotated clockwise. Douglas Winter states that this is the eighth rarest issue among D-mint Liberty Half Eagles. The mintage was a stingy 10,366 pieces, and the vast majority of survivors are in circulated grades. (PCGS# 8282)

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Service PCGS

Grade MS61

Auction Ended

Mar 27, 2004

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Sold For: $16,100.00

Auction 342 | Lot 9038 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 NGC. Ex: Ashland City. Variety 37-EE. This variety is considered to be quite rare, and it is most easily attributed by the irregular positioning of the bottoms of the digits in the date. Combining all three of the known varieties, it appears that some 120-140 pieces are known of this issue in all grades with a mere 7-8 coins believed extant today in the various grades of Uncirculated (the finest of which is the Duke's Creek MS64 coin). This piece is tied with several others as fifth finest known on the current Condition Census.

It is generally accepted among specialists that the 1859-D is a difficult issue not just because of its low mintage of only 10,366 pieces, but also because of weakness of strike, planchet problems, and heavy abrasions. This piece defies these generalizations. The features are better defined than usual and the green-gold surfaces are bright overall with a light accent of reddish patina. Each side is peppered with numerous small abrasions but the only ones worthy of mention are a group of shallow scratches around star 9 and a short scrape below the F in OF on the reverse. An appealing coin for this challenging issue.
Ex: Ashland City Collection (Heritage, 1/03), lot 4805, where it realized $11,500. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS61

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Jan 31, 2004

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Sold For: $12,075.00

Auction 308 | Lot 4805 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 MS61 NGC. It is generally accepted among specialists that the 1859-D is a difficult issue not just because of its low mintage, but also because of weakness of strike, planchet problems, and heavy abrasions. This piece defies these generalizations. The features are better defined than usual on this piece and the green-gold surfaces are bright overall with a light accent of reddish patina. Each side is peppered with numerous small abrasions but the only ones worthy of mention are a group of shallow scratches around star 9 and a short scrape below the F in OF on the reverse. An appealing coin for this challenging issue, and one of only a handful of Mint State pieces believed known.
From the Ashland City Collection. (PCGS# 8282)

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Service NGC

Grade MS61

Auction Ended

Jan 11, 2003

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Sold For: $11,500.00

Auction 1127 | Lot 1569 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 PCGS. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS61

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Jul 12, 2009

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Sold For: $10,925.00

Auction 1204 | Lot 5745 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 PCGS. Variety 44-HH (formerly 36-CC). (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS61

Auction Ended

Apr 27, 2014

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Sold For: $10,575.00

Auction 1160 | Lot 4924 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 NGC. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS61

Auction Ended

Oct 16, 2011

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Sold For: $10,350.00

Auction 195 | Lot 7715 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D AU 58 PCGS. A bit lighter in hue than the preceding example but, in our opinion, an even nicer piece. Very well struck and lustrous with light orange-gold coloration over clean, vibrant surfaces. While the barest trace of friction can be seen on the obverse, the overall appearance readily suggests a higher grade.
Four Mint State 1859-D half eagles are currently accounted for. The finest of these is a superb MS 64 in the Duke's Creek Collection that was earlier lot 1022 in the Pittman Collection (it realized $60,500). The Duke's Creek Collection also contains a PCGS MS 62 (earlier graded MS 63 by NGC) that was lot 516 in Stack's May, 1995 Milas Collection and lot 1351 in their 1984 sale of the Arthur Montgomery Collection. An NGC MS 61 was last seen in the inventory of a New England dealer in 1997; and the Sotheby's 7/97: 367 coin was graded MS 60 by PCGS. The North Georgia Collection specimen is at least the fifth finest known and it may actually rank higher than this in the Condition Census. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade AU58

Auction Ended

Jan 11, 1999

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Sold For: $9,775.00

Auction 1271 | Lot 6142 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU58 ANACS. Variety 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade AU58

Auction Ended

Jan 8, 2018

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Sold For: $9,000.00

Auction 1219 | Lot 6219 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 NGC. Variety 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS61

Auction Ended

Apr 26, 2015

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Sold For: $7,637.50

Auction 1234 | Lot 5830 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU58 PCGS. CAC. Variety 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Service Green CAC, PCGS

Grade AU58

Auction Ended

May 1, 2016

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Sold For: $7,637.50

Auction 1122 | Lot 2777 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D MS61 NGC. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade MS61

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Feb 8, 2009

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Sold For: $7,475.00

Auction 1348 | Lot 4910 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU58 NGC. Variety 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Service NGC

Grade AU58

Auction Ended

Aug 28, 2022

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Sold For: $7,200.00

Auction 1221 | Lot 4255 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU58+ PCGS. CAC. Variety 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Service Green CAC, PCGS

Grade AU58+

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Jun 4, 2015

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Sold For: $7,050.00

Auction 195 | Lot 7714 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D AU 55 PCGS. Sharply struck and a superb example with a crusty, original appearance. Both the obverse and reverse are covered with lovely, deep orange-gold color. There is a small mark on the shield and the lower part of the eagle's neck that is barely noticeable.
The 1859-D is one of the scarcer half eagles from this Mint in terms of its overall rarity, ranking 5th of 26 issues. Some 85-95 pieces are believed to exist with two dozen or so in AU and another 4 in Mint State. Upper-end AU coins are rare and the present example, along with the next lot, are probably within the Condition Census for the date. (PCGS# 8282)

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Service PCGS

Grade AU55

Auction Ended

Jan 11, 1999

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Sold For: $6,900.00

Auction 400 | Lot 2926 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU58 NGC. Variety 36-CC. This generally unmarked late date Dahlonega five has attractive lemon-gold color and no shortage of glowing luster. Minor striking weakness is noted on Liberty's curls and the eagle's neck, but the strike is decent for the mint. The halcyon days for the Charlotte Mint were over by 1859, and just 10,366 pieces were struck. High grade survivors are even fewer than the NGC census suggests, due to an unknown number of resubmissions. Census: 25 in 58, 13 finer (12/05). (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade AU58

Auction Ended

Feb 11, 2006

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Sold For: $6,900.00

Auction 412 | Lot 1864 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU58 NGC. Variety 36-CC. This scarce Dahlonega five has an impressively low mintage of only 10,366 pieces, but it seems to have been saved in greater (but still quite small) numbers in AU and Mint State than other D-mint fives from the 1850s. This piece has clean surfaces that are nearly devoid of noticeable contact marks. While there is slight striking softness on the hair curls and on the eagle (as usual), a significant amount of luster still clings to the devices. Census: 26 in 58, 13 finer (1/06). (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade AU58

Auction Ended

Mar 4, 2006

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Sold For: $6,325.00

Auction 1384 | Lot 3830 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU50 PCGS. Winter 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade AU50

Auction Ended

Jul 20, 2025

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Sold For: $6,006.00

Auction 1239 | Lot 4677 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D XF45 PCGS. Variety 44-HH. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade XF45

Auction Ended

Sep 8, 2016

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Sold For: $5,875.00

Auction 360 | Lot 8811 » Half Eagles » Liberty Half Eagles

1859-D $5 Medium D AU55 PCGS. Variety 36-CC. By far the more frequently encountered of the two mintmark variants of this year. The '59-D is a popular, pre-Civil War issue with some 120-140 pieces believed known today in all grades. AU coins are relatively available with 28-32 examples believed known--of course, not all are AU55 or 58, though. Softly struck, as always, the surfaces are bright with rich golden-orange coloration overall. Numerous small to medium sized abrasions are scattered over each side, as usual, with the most obvious being a milling mark located in the field beneath the eagle's right (facing) wing.
From The Cincinnati Collection. (PCGS# 8282)

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Grade AU55

Auction Ended

Jan 15, 2005

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Sold For: $5,750.00