1854-D Half Eagle (1854-D $5) NGC AU55. This Dahlonega quarter eagle has some dark greenish and orange toning in the right obverse field, above Libertys head, and through the date. There is also a small patch next to her mouth and between the stars to the left. The reverse shows similar toning under the eagle and near the rim above the left wing. There is some luster outlining Libertys profile from her chin to the top of her head and through her hair beads and back curls. On the reverse, the eagle is bright and lustrous. There are some scattered contact marks on the left obverse field and on Libertys cheek and brow. There is light even wear on the high points of the obverse and reverse, which is consistent with the grade. Also on the obverse, there is some weakness in the strike below the ert of liberty. Like most Dahlonega gold, this piece is very rare in conditions above EF.

This pre-Civil War quarter eagle was designed by Christian Gobrecht. The design remained in use and essentially unchanged for over sixty-five years. A peculiarity of the reverse design is that with the addition of the denominations abbreviation, a period is placed just below and to the left of a dot following America. Neither E Pluribus Unum nor In God We Trust is included on coins of this design. The only variations over the years occur at the date and mint mark, both of which were added by a hand punch. Both the obverse and reverse on branch mint coins of this date are usually weakly struck. The present coin is exceptional in that the dentils on both the obverse and reverse are fully struck. Additionally, the leg feathers and claws show a full reverse strike.