1855-C $5 MS65 NGC. Variety 1. ...

Description

Finest Known 1855-C Half Eagle
Stunning and Original MS65
Ex: Elrod, William Miller

1855-C $5 MS65 NGC. Variety 1. We never had the foresight to ask noted Charlotte gold collector Stanley Elrod what was the single coin in his collection(s) he admired most but we would be hard-pressed to think that this fantastic 1855-C half eagle was not one of them. It is among the best Charlotte coins known of any date and it is clearly the finest 1855-C half eagle.
This coin is virtually "as struck" and shows nice natural orange-gold color on the obverse coupled with lighter even rose-gold on the reverse. The luster is satiny and bold. The surfaces have a bit of minor roughness in the fields (as made), and there is some weakness on the stars on the left that might be the result of an uneven strike or, perhaps, some minor lapping of the die. There are some minor foreign deposits within the date numerals that could be easily removed without harming the coin.
In a word, this piece is stunning and it is clearly a highlight of this (or any) collection.
There are as many as 250 examples of this date known with most in the VF-XF range. In Uncirculated, the 1855-C is extremely rare with maybe half a dozen known. The finest is, of course, the coin offered here and graded MS65 by NGC. The next finest is Ex: Bass II, lot 1068 (graded MS63 by PCGS, it sold for $33,350). The third best is Ex: Milas, lot 496, that sold for $38,500. It has been graded MS63 by PCGS and MS64 by NGC.
Ex: Stanley Elrod Collection; North Carolina collection; William Miller/Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 2/1999), lot 6284, where it brought $67,275; obtained via private treaty from Doug Winter in 2010.
From The Cherokee County Collection.(Registry values: P4)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25UR, PCGS# 8262, Greysheet# 9013)

Weight: 8.36 grams

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper

Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.

View all of [The Cherokee County Collection ]

View Certification Details from NGC