1842-D Half Eagle - 1842-D $5 Large Date, NGC XF40. This rare, Southern branch mint 1842-D Half Eagle Large Date has hints of remaining luster within the devices. The surfaces are original and clean for the grade with no notable abrasion marks or other distractions. More than half of the obverse stars show strong details indicating a strong peripheral strike. All of the details of Libertys hair down her neck show and the lines of the coronet are full. About two-thirds of the eagles feathers show along with most of the details of the shield. The greenish-gold color of the coin is typical for coins made at the Dahlonega Mint.

Christian Gobrecht designed the Liberty Head half eagle. It 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. The mintmark is on the reverse between the eagle and the denomination.

The discovery of gold in the early 1800s led to the establishment of two of the Southern branch mints, Charlotte North Carolina and Dahlonega Georgia. In 1835 an act of Congress mandated that these two branch mints would coin only gold. The New Orleans Mint also opened to handle gold from Mexico. In 1838 the first Dahlonega gold coins were made, and they were the Classic Head half eagle type. Because of the local alloys high silver content, Dahlonega gold coins often have a green-gold cast. They are also often weakly struck on irregular planchets. Dahlonega gold coins are eagerly sought by collectors and investors because of their low mintages and rarity. Modern D mint coins should not be confused with Dahlonega coins. Today a coin bearing the D mintmark was minted in Denver, which began production in 1906.

The Large Date 1842-D half eagle is one of the rarest Dahlonega five dollar coins. Less than 100 are known, most of which are damaged or heavily circulated. NGC has certified only 25 pieces in all conditions; 3 are in XF 40.