1850-C Half Eagle - 1850-C $5 PCGS XF45 CAC. This lightly circulated, Southern branch mint 1850-C Half Eagle has some original mint luster remaining within its devices. The coin is light and dark yellow gold with hints of greenish gold. These colors confirm the pieces originality. The surfaces are clean for the grade with no notable abrasion marks or other distractions. All the details of Libertys hair on her neck show. The upper and lower parts of the coronet are distinct and the lower is separated from the strands of hair. The CAC sticker indicates that the coin fully merits the assigned grade and is a premium quality piece.
 
In the 1790s gold was accidentally discovered in North Carolina. The first United States Gold Rush took place in the early 1800s in North Carolina and Georgia. In the area around Charlotte, North Carolina almost 100 gold mines were in operation. Second only to farming, prospecting for gold became the main source of employment in North Carolina. The most gold produced in the United States came from North Carolina until 1848, when it was discovered in California.

The gold that was produced at Charlotte had to be refined and standardized so it would have commercial value. Private mints like the Bechtlers and Templeton Reids opened to assay the new gold and convert it to coinage. In order to standardize this coinage and because transportation to Philadelphia was so poor as a result of bandits, unfriendly Indians, and poor roads, a branch mint in Charlotte was opened in 1836.

Two years later the first half eagle was struck. Quarter eagles were minted later in 1838 and gold dollars in 1849. However, no coins were made in 1845 because there was a fire, and the entire structure burned to the ground. Its last coinage was in 1861, twenty-four years after it opened. During the Civil War, the Charlotte Mint continued coining gold; however, in October of 1861 the building was converted to a Confederate army hospital and headquarters. During Reconstruction, the building was used for offices by federal troops. In 1867 the Mint became an assay office, which remained in operation until 1913. During World War I it was used by the Charlottes Womans Club and as a Red Cross station. In 1936 the site was relocated south of downtown and became the Mint Museum of Art, which was the first art museum in North Carolina.

In its population report, as of October 2013, CAC has confirmed 3 1850-C half eagles at the XF45 grade level with 3 better. Less than 3% of all 1850-C half eagles certified by PCGS and NGC have been given CAC stickers.