1852-D Half Eagle - 1852-D $5 NGC AU58. This near-Uncirculated, Southern branch mint 1852-D Half Eagle has the characteristic greenish-gold color and lots of remaining mint luster in protected areas. The coin is actually a mixture of yellow gold and greenish-gold that gives the piece a distinctive eye-appeal. The strike is far above the norm for this mint with full details on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, and the eagles neck. Clearly original, the piece is clean for the grade despite the presence of a small, light scratch between Star 13 and Libertys hair.

The discovery of gold in the early 1800s led to the establishment of two of the Southern branch mints, Charlotte North Carolina and Dahlonega Georgia. In 1835 an act of Congress mandated that these two branch mints would coin only gold. The New Orleans Mint also opened to handle gold from Mexico. In 1838 the first Dahlonega gold coins were made, and they were the Classic Head half eagle type. Because of the local alloys high silver content, Dahlonega gold coins often have a green-gold cast. They are also often weakly struck on irregular planchets. Dahlonega gold coins are eagerly sought by collectors and investors because of their low mintages and rarity. Modern D mint coins should not be confused with Dahlonega coins. Today a coin bearing the D mintmark was minted in Denver, which began production in 1906.

A large group of miners came 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.
A building was erected in the town of Dahlonega. Power for its coining equipment came from steam produced in a boiler in the basement. Two small steam driven presses were on the first floor just above the boiler room. They could produce one coin per second. Because of the small size of the presses, the largest coins produced were half eagles.

In its population report, NGC shows 55 1852-D half eagles certified at the AU58 grade level. This number has been inflated because of resubmissions. All three pieces in the Smithsonian collection have also been graded AU58.