PCGS - I've written before about collecting a seven-mint set of Liberty Head Half Eagles. In case you've forgotten, the Liberty Head Half Eagle is the only United States coin to have been struck at all seven of the mints that produced vintage U.S. designs (excluding the eighth mint, West Point). These are as follows:
Carson City: 1870-1893
Charlotte: 1839-1861
Dahlonega: 1839-1861
Denver: 1906-1907
New Orleans: 1840-1909
Philadelphia: 1839-1908
San Francisco: 1854-1906
Unless you set ridiculously high standards (like all coins must grade MS65 and finer), this set isn't especially hard to assemble. How about bulking it up with some extra coins that fit the set perfectly and make the set more interesting? Overall, this set consists of 19 coins, and it can be assembled on the cheap (for around $25,000) or with condition census or finest-known coins for a high six-figure amount.
Carson City Mint
An 1870-CC Liberty Head Half Eagle. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView.For the Carson City issues, I'd suggest expanding by seeking to obtain one nice coin from each of the three decades these coins were produced. You'll be looking at three coins: one each from the 1870s, the 1880s, and the 1890s. The first decade is challenging in AU55 and higher, and any Mint State Carson City Half Eagle from the 1870s is very rare. The 1880s date is reasonably easy to locate in circulated grades but challenging in Mint State. The 1890s date should be available in grades up through MS64. (Total: 3 coins)
Charlotte Mint
An 1839-C Liberty Head Half Eagle. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView.The Charlotte issues consist of three types: Obverse Mintmark (1839 only), Reverse Mintmark with Small Letters (1840-1843), and Reverse Mintmark with Large Letters (1844-1861). The 1839-C is extremely scarce in Mint State, but a nice AU coin should be available. The other two types are more common in higher grades and are pretty affordable in XF and AU. (Total: 3 coins)
Dahlonega Mint
An 1844-D Liberty Head Half Eagle. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView.The Dahlonega issues consist of the same three types, except that the Small Letters Reverse was used only through 1842. The one-year Obverse Mintmark type is rare in Mint State, while the Small Letters Reverse is challenging to locate in MS60 or finer. With some patience, nice examples of all three designs should be available. (Total: 3 coins)
Denver Mint
A 1906-D Liberty Head Half Eagle. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView. I'd stick with the one issue from Denver and would probably choose the 1906-D over the 1907-D given its status as the first year of type. (Total: 1 coin)
New Orleans Mint
An 1840-O Liberty Head Half Eagle. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView.The New Orleans issues consist of three types: No Motto with Small Letters Reverse (1840-1843), No Motto with Large Letters Reverse (1843-1857), and With Motto (1892-1894). All three of these types are available in Mint State, although the No Motto Small Letters design is very challenging in higher grades. (Total: 3 coins)
Philadelphia Mint
The 1839 Liberty Head Half Eagle. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView.The Philadelphia issues consist of four types: First Liberty Head (1839), Second Liberty Head with Small Reverse Letters (1840-1842), Second Liberty Head with Large Reverse Letters (1842-1865), and the With Motto type (1866-1908). Note that the first three designs are the No Motto type. You've got tremendous flexibility with these four issues as dates range from extremely common to very rare. (Total: 4 coins)
San Francisco Mint
1866-S With Motto Liberty Head Half Eagle. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView.Finally, the San Francisco issues consist of two types: No Motto (1854-1866) and With Motto (1866-1906). An interesting transitional pair exists for 1866-S, as both the No Motto and With Motto designs are seen in that year. The No Motto issues are quite rare in Mint State, while most of the post-1878 With Motto Half Eagles from San Francisco are common in higher grades. (Total: 2 coins)
Check out Half Eagles on ebay.
Posted 08/23/2023 10:28 am
