1861 $5 (1861 Half Eagle) PCGS MS62 CAC. This mint state, Civil War dated 1861 Half Eagle has attractive surfaces and bright mint luster in protected areas. The coin has a sharp strike with full details on the highest points of Libertys hair, the centers of the stars, the eagles neck, the area to the lower left of the shield, and the lower part of the eagle. The mint state grade is confirmed by CAC, which indicates that the coin meets stringent standards for quality within the grade. The surfaces are clean and original.

The Liberty Head half eagle was designed by Christian Gobrecht. His design shows a left facing, young profile of Liberty wearing a LIBERTY inscribed coronet. The portrait of Liberty was based on a Roman neoclassic painting of the Napoleonic era called Pythagoras by Pierre Guerin. It was painted about 1800. The art critic, Vermeule calls her effigy on the coin a sober yet sympathetic portrayal. 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 eagle. 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 the 1860s the half eagle was subjected to an unusual form of counterfeiting. Genuine gold coins were sawed in half edgewise and the gold was removed from the interiors. It was replaced by platinum discs of corresponding weight. A new edge was added to hide the change. The coins rang well, and had the proper weight and color. Although many solutions were proposed, the problem resolved itself when the market price of platinum exceeded that of gold. From time to time these altered coins appear. They are valuable today for their bullion content and, for some, as interesting curiosities.

In its population report as of December 2011, CAC has confirmed 2 1861 half eagles in MS61 condition with 13 better.