1846-D/D $5 (1846-D/D Half Eagle) PCGS AU55. This Southern branch mint slider 1846-D/D Half Eagle has super fields and the look of an uncirculated coin. With just a trace of wear on its highest points, the fields are original, clean, and free of distractions worthy of individual mention. Some original mint luster remains within protected areas on both sides. The strike is strong with full details on the centers of the stars, the eagles neck, and the area to the lower left of the shield. The scuff marks on the arrows feathers are on the holder not the coin. The blundered reverse with the first mintmark punched too high and buried in the device and then repunched is clear and easy to see with the naked eye.

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. Gobrechts design for the Liberty Head (No Motto on Reverse) half eagle 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 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 of FIVE below the juncture of the arrows and olive branch.

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 to meet this need.

There are two varieties of the 1846-D half eagle, one with a normal mintmark and the present piece with a repunched mintmark. The dramatic repunched mintmark variety is much sought after. High grade examples are scarce. In its population report, PCGS shows 17 in AU55 condition with 25 better.