Bucket Lister!! Less Than 100 Known!! $5 Gold Half Eagle Dug!!

[Cal_Cobra]

Tom(CA) and I have been working a site that we researched that's produced several 1850's - 1860's seated coins, and some rogue early 1900's coins, as well as a variety of period relics.

We tried to get one more trip in before Old Man Winter completely shut us down, and it did in fact shut us down, but not before I finally, got something I've been looking for for a long time, and after watching others find them over the years (I saw Tom dig three!!!), I was starting to think it would never happen.  

Well it finally happened, and it turned out to be a good one, an 1865 San Francisco minted Liberty Half Eagle!!  

Here she is out of the hole:

Here she is rinsed off:

Here's a video of the hunt:

Less than 100 known, Mintage: 27,612

Although the mintage of the 1865-S is quite a bit higher than the mintages of the S Mint Half Eagles from 1858 to 1864, it compares in overall rarity to the 1858-S, 1860-S and 1863-S and is only slightly less rare than the others. Almost all known examples of this date are well worn with VF and lower being all one can expect to find. The 1865-S ranks second in the entire $5 series according to average grade and I do not know of a specimen that would grade better than EF. The very few specimens that I have seen were rather softly struck and the mintmark was always quite weak.

Thanks for looking, hopefully the next one comes easier

[Wendell Clark]

Congrats on the fantastic find, beautiful coin.

[GB_Amateur]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That's a find of a lifetime; a true rarity with an estimate of 80 in existance.

Presumably you'll get it graded by one of the official grading services, but to me this looks like XF-40 or XF-45.  These don't come up for auction much in any condition.  I think I'm going super-conservative valuing it at over $3k.  (Hope this grades and values out higher than I've done -- I'm no expert.)

 

[Cal_Cobra]

7 hours ago, dsrtdwg1 said:

Congrats on the fantastic find, beautiful coin.

Thank you!!

6 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That's a find of a lifetime; a true rarity with an estimate of 80 in existance.

Presumably you'll get it graded by one of the official grading services, but to me this looks like XF-40 or XF-45.  These don't come up for auction much in any condition.  I think I'm going super-conservative valuing it at over $3k.  (Hope this grades and values out higher than I've done -- I'm no expert.)

Thank you, it was a surreal moment seeing that gold disc flash by in the dirt, and it didn't really sink in as to what I'd dug until I saw the golden reeded edge.

I will likely have it slabbed, not that I'd ever sell it unless I had to, but just for posterity and to really know what it grades out to as I'm not a coin expert. 

[Cabin Fever]

Incredible find no doubt!  Congratulations!

[BeachHunter]

Stunning find of a lifetime, wow!

[IronDigger]

Wow....awesome awesome find.....I only dug one of those 1898...Digging gold coins gives me a rush!

[phoenix]

Mate congratulations.   What a fantastic find  

[Cal_Cobra]

Thanks everyone, hope you all get your coil over one, it's something you'll never forget

[Jackpine]

Brian

Congratulations on your first gold coin.  That it is a rare one makes it that more exciting for you I am sure.