1847-D Half Eagle (1847-D $5) NGC MS61. In 1828 gold miners flocked to Auraria Georgia, and then to Dahlonega because gold was discovered on Cherokee Indian land. In Cherokee the word dahlonega means yellow money. As many as 1500 miners were in Dahlonega and nearby at the height of the gold rush. During that time there were private companies coining gold. Because this privately minted gold was not at a uniform standard, in 1835 Congress established the branch mints in North Carolina and Georgia. In 1838 these mints produced their first coins. This period of time before the Civil War when the southern mints were in operation, was also Americas first gold rush.

One of Christian Gobrechts first assignments was to redesign the five dollar gold piece. The Mint Director, Robert Patterson, wanted the half eagle to be uniform with the eagles design. Gobrecht used the Coronet Head beginning in 1839. This design, with minor modifications, remained in use until 1908 when Bella Lyon Pratts Indian Head replaced it at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt.