1855-C Half Eagle (1855-C $5) NGC MS60+. Mint luster shimmers from within the devices of this branch mint 1855-C Half Eagle. Surface abrasions and a couple of light marks on the obverse keep this coin from a higher mint state grade. The plus designation indicates that for the grade it is a premium quality coin. Except for slight weakness on the curls under IE, the strike is strong on both sides. The first Gold Rush in the United States took place in the South. One of the mining communities was Charlotte, North Carolina. In the early 1800s almost 100 gold mines operated in the Charlotte area. After farming, prospecting for gold was the main source of employment in North Carolina.

The gold that was produced at Charlotte had to be refined and standardized so it would have uniform 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.

In 1838 the Charlotte Mint struck its first half eagle. It was the Classic Head type. A year later the first Liberty or Coronet Head type was struck. These remained in production until 1844. No gold coins were struck the next year because there was a fire, and the building burned to the ground. However, coinage resumed at Charlotte in 1846 and continued until 1861.

Early in the Civil War, the Confederacy took over the Charlotte Mint. It continued making gold coins until October 1861. However, because the same dies were used, the Confederate Civil War coins made at Charlotte cannot be distinguished from those that had been previously struck for the Union.

All Charlotte gold coins are scarce and highly sought after by collectors and investors. The 1855-C had an original mintage of 39,788. In its population report, NGC shows 147 pieces certified in all grades.