1880-CC Half Eagle NGC MS61 - 1880-CC $5 NGC MS61. The Carson City Mint has always held a special fascination for collectors and investors. Many collect CC coins as subsets. Here is a Mint State 1880-CC Half Eagle that is tied for the second finest known at NGC and third finest at PCGS. The coin is lovely with satiny mint luster emanating from within its devices. The surfaces are completely original and clean for the grade with no individually distracting abrasion marks. The strike is wonderful with full details on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, the eagles neck, the shield, and the area to the lower left of the shield. Full, sharp dentils are present on both sides.

Authorized in 1863, the Carson City Mint began coinage in 1870 and continued until 1893. It was then operated as a government assay office until 1933 when it was closed as a cost cutting measure. During its operation it made fifty-seven different types of gold coins. It also converted gold bullion and oar into gold bars, which were shipped to San Francisco for coinage there. Coins issued from the Carson City used the CC mint mark. Originally established to convert silver from the Comstock Lode to coinage, the Carson City Mint also processed gold in to gold coins.

When first discovered, gold and silver found in Nevada had to be shipped over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the branch mint in San Francisco. This trip was dangerous and expensive. The Nevada mine owners asked Congress to establish a branch of the mint in their state, and legislation was enacted in 1863. Carson City was chosen as the location for the mint facility because it was near some of the major mining sites.

Between 1870 and 1873, mintage at Carson City was limited because of political reasons. The Mint Superintendent, H.F. Rice was dismissed because of claims that the mint issued some light weight and debased coins. Rice could have been executed. This partly verified information led to frequently seen edge test marks on the gold pieces of this period. Those who wanted the Carson City Mint closed use this discovery to urge the closing. Their real motive was that they wanted the lucrative shipping contracts to move the oar to San Francisco.

The first coin produced was the Liberty Seated 1870-CC dollar. A person who had deposited silver at the mint received 2,303 silver dollars. Shortly afterwards, gold eagles, half eagles and double eagles were struck. The Mint did not strike coins made of copper or nickel, and it never struck half dimes, gold dollars, quarter eagles, or three dollar gold coins.

In 1873 silver was demonetized; however, the Bland-Allison act of 1878 required the Treasury Department to coin two to four million silver dollars each month. The act attempted to keep silver at artificially high levels. Large quantities of Morgan dollars were minted, but they did not circulate well and were kept in Treasury storage vaults.

In 1884 Democrat Grover Cleveland became president. He fired all the Republican appointees including the top officials at the Carson City Mint and shut it down. A year later it reopened as an assay office. When Republican Benjamin Harrison became president, he fired Clevelands appointees and replaced them with Republicans. In 1889 coining operations resumed.

In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson stopped the mintage of eagles. Because its melt value exceeded its monetary value, there was excessive melting of theses coins. Over thirty years later, the standard weight and fineness for gold coins was changed. Eagles went from 270 grains to 258 and fineness from 91.67% to 90% gold. In 1838 Mint Director Patterson told Engraver Gobrecht to prepare new dies for the eagle. The Type 2 Liberty Head Eagle, Motto Added was created when the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to a banner designed by James B. Longacre above the eagle in 1866. The change was made in response to pressure organized by the Reverend M.R. Watkinson. The motto remained until 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt told Augustus Saint-Gaudens to omit it on the newly designed eagle.

In its population report, NGC shows that it has certified 10 1880-CC half eagles in MS61 condition with only 1 better. PCGS has 3 at the MS61 level with 4 better.