1840-D $5 Tall D (1840-D Half Eagle) Tall D, NGC AU55. This Southern branch mint 1840-D Half Eagle is unusual in that it is sharply struck. Most branch mint coins from before the Civil War are lightly struck and have weak dentils. This piece shows full details on the centers of the stars, the hair above Libertys ear, the hair below LIBERTY, the eagles neck, the area to the lower left of the shield, the claws, and the dentils on both sides. Traces of mint luster remain within the devices. While the coin shows very light wear on the highest points, the surfaces are original and clean, for the grade.

When Mint Engraver William Kneass was unable to resume his duties after a debilitating stroke, Christian Gobrecht was asked to do his work, which included making a new half eagle that would be uniform with the eagle. The Liberty Head (No Motto on Reverse) half eagle was minted from 1839 to 1866.

Gobrechts design shows a left facing profile of Liberty wearing a LIBERTY inscribed coronet. Her hair is tied in the back and there are two loose curls that hang down her neck. Around the head are thirteen six-pointed stars, and the date is below the truncation. At the periphery of the coin are dentils. The coin also has a reeded edge. The reverse of the coin shows a heraldic eagle similar to the one on the Classic Head eagle. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the eagle, except for its wing tips, in an arc. The denomination is below, separated with dots, and written as FIVE D. The mintmark is above the VE in FIVE below the arrows feather.

The discovery of gold on Cherokee land in Georgia caused a large group of miners to come to the frontier town of Auraria, which is now Lumpkin County, Georgia. Its name derives from aurum, the Latin word for gold. Soon Dahlonega, which meant yellow money in Cherokee, would become the county seat. The miners need to convert oar and dust into bullion led to the establishment of private coiners, including the Bechtlers and Templeton Reid; however, because of a lack of standardization, there was pressure for a federal coinage to be created. The federal branch mint at Dahlonega was established in 1838 to meet this need.

The 1840-D had an original mintage of 22,896. In its population report, NGC shows 12 in AU55 condition with 18 better.