1871-CC $5 Liberty Head Half Eagle PCGS AU58

Formerly offered by Goldberg Auctions on February 2011 as NGC AU58, but obviously crossed over to PCGS since then. As lot #2131, it was described as "Well struck and untoned. Only 20,770 struck. Very rare date in Mint State and priced to the moon, well away from the reach of most collectors (see populations below). For AU58, what you get is a satin-fresh beauty whose agreeable mint frost within expands around and on top of the devices covering a good 70% or more of the surface. Level, rolling luster, it is, frosted and almost granular plus free from heavy abrasions that so commonly plague early CC-mint half eagles. There are choice quality surfaces and then there are choice quality surfaces, with this handsome offering one of the latter.
1871-CC checks in as a very significant rarity among the $5 issues produced at the Carson City Mint. Relatively few were made (in this instance 20,770), and nearly all seem to have been put into circulation. There was no interest on the part of numismatists at the time. The present piece is quite exceptional. The Carson City Mint specialist will find this to be an incredible opportunity, one that may not be repeated for many years."