1861 Half Eagle - 1861 $5 PCGS AU55 CAC. This Civil War dated, Choice AU 1861 half eagle has bright mint luster remaining in protected areas on both sides of the coin. The piece is well struck with full details on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, the eagles neck, and the area to the lower left of the shield. The yellow and gold colors of the coin attest to its originality. The fields are clean for the grade, with no notable abrasion marks. The CAC sticker indicates that the coin is a premium quality piece that fully merits the assigned grade.

When Mint Engraver William Kneass was unable to resume his duties after a debilitating stroke, Christian Gobrecht was asked to do his work, which included making a new half eagle that would be uniform with the eagle. The Liberty Head half eagle with no motto was minted from 1839 to 1866.

Gobrechts design shows a left facing profile of Liberty wearing a LIBERTY inscribed coronet. Her hair is tied in the back and there are two loose curls that hang down her neck. Around the head are thirteen six-pointed stars, and the date is below the truncation. At the periphery of the coin are dentils. The coin also has a reeded edge. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle similar to the one on the Classic Head half eagle except that the eagle is smaller and its neck is not bent so aggressively. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the eagle, except for its wing tips, in an arc. The denomination is below, separated with dots, and written as FIVE D.

In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to William Kneass. After Kneass suffered a debilitating stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif, which was used for all denominations of silver coinage including the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle. 

The 1861 half eagle is a tangible and popular collectible from the Civil War era. In its population report, as of July 2013, CAC has confirmed 14 1861 half eagles at the AU55 grade level.