1862-S Half Eagle (1862-S $5) NGC AU55. Crisp, lustrous Civil War key. The featured coin is an 1862-S $5 gold half eagle graded AU-55 by NGC. Warm honey gold surfaces with strong cartwheel activity and much mint frost are exhibited on the surfaces and sharply stuck devices accompany them. With a mintage of only 9,500 pieces, this coin is a rare Civil War Era key date!

The Liberty Head $5 half eagle replaced the outdated Classic Head half eagle, which was struck from 1834-1848. The Liberty Head half eagle was first struck in 1839 and the design continued to be used until 1908. Designed by Mint Engraver Christian Gobrecht, the obverse of the Liberty Head half eagle featured the bust of Liberty with her hair tied back in a bun and secured by a string of beads. She also wore a coronet in her hair inscribed with the word LIBERTY. The date is situated below the bust and 13 stars encircle the coin. The reverse of the coin exhibits an eagle with its wings spread with a shield situated on its chest. The words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surround the eagle and the mint mark and the denomination FIVE D. are displayed underneath it.

The featured coin and Liberty Head $5 half eagles struck from 1839-1866 are referred to as the No Motto design. No Motto half eagles were minted until 1866, when they were replaced by coins with the newly mandated motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse. No Motto half eagles remained in the channels of commerce for generations and it was not until the turn of the century and the advent of mintmark collecting that they began to be appreciated as a series with many valuable rarities and few survivors in high grade.

NGC shows only 8 coins in AU-55 with 3 finer, not including resubmissions to which we would bet there are a few.