1843-O Half Eagle PCGS AU55 - 1843-O $5 PCGS AU55. This attractive, choice About Uncirculated Southern branch mint 1843-O Half Eagle is the rarer Small Letters variety. It comes in an OGH (old green holder) from PCGS. In addition to the reverse letters, the mintmark is also small. The coin has a strong strike with full details on Libertys hair, the centers of the stars, the eagles neck, and the area to the lower left of the eagle. Just a bit of even wear on the highest points keeps this piece from a Mint State grade. The surfaces are original and clean with no individually notable abrasion marks. Original mint luster remains in protected areas of both sides.

The New Orleans Mint was authorized in 1835 by President Andrew Jackson, hero of the battle of New Orleans. The bill that Jackson signed also authorized the mints at Charlotte and Dahlonega. William Strickland, a Philadelphia architect designed all three branch mint buildings. The New Orleans Mint building was made in the solid, bulky Greek Revival style of architecture. It was the largest of the three branch mints and located at major port of entry. Unfortunately Strickland did not account for the soft ground around the site. Because of it, the building had to undergo numerous repairs throughout its history.

Authorized to produce gold and silver, the New Orleans Mint struck quarter eagles and dimes in 1839. It operated from 1838 to 1909. In that time period 427 million silver and gold coins with the O mintmark were coined. By the mid 1850s denominations made in New Orleans included three-cent silver pieces, half-dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, silver dollars, gold dollars, quarter eagles, three-dollar pieces, half eagles, eagles, and double eagles. The first deposit was of Mexican dollars which amounted to more than 32,400 dollars. The first coins struck were Liberty Seated dimes. Each year between the beginning of August and the end of November, the mint closed because of the annual outbreak of yellow fever.

Christian Gobrecht designed the Liberty Head half eagle. It 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 shows a heraldic eagle similar to the one on the Classic Head half eagle except that the eagle is smaller and its neck is not bent so aggressively. 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 V in FIVE.

In its population report, PCGS shows 4 1843-O Small Letters certified in AU55 with 4 better.