1846-D $5 Liberty Head Half Eagle PCGS AU55 Ex. Fairmont Collection

Formerly sold in the Fairmont Collection-Hendricks Set by Stacks Bowers for $5,760 on April 2022, Lot #5042, and described as:

1846-D Liberty Head Half Eagle. Winter 16-K. AU-55 (PCGS).

Original surfaces exhibit pale pinkish-rose peripheral highlights on dominant deep gold color. This is a boldly struck, near-fully lustrous example with a frosty texture and smooth appearance in most areas. The 1846-D has a mintage of 80,294 pieces, however all but a tiny fraction were lost to commerce over the following decades. The Normal D die pairings of the issue, of which there are three (per Doug Winter, 2003), are far rarer than their more highly publicized D/D counterpart. In fact, the 1846-D Normal D is one of the true unsung rarities in the Dahlonega Mint half eagle series, ranking second in high grade rarity (AU and Mint State). The astute Southern gold specialist would be hard pressed to find a nicer example that that offered here.

Provenance: From the Fairmont Collection-Hendricks Set.

PCGS Population: 16; 10 finer, six of which are Mint State (MS-62 finest).