1881-CC $5.00 PCGS EF45 CAC

The 1881-CC is, by a large margin, the rarest Carson City half eagle produced after 1878. There were only 13,886 struck and this issue saw extensive local use in commerce, meaning that survivors tend to be both well-worn. This Choice EF example has great eye appeal for the date and grade with nice medium orange-gold color over clean, vibrant surfaces. There have been no PCGS EF45 examples sold at auction since the Goldberg 6/04: 2512 (that's eight years if you are keeping score at home...) and I think the 1881-CC remains a very undervalued issue in the Carson City half eagle series.

CAC has approved just this one example in EF45 with five better.

1881-CC $10.00 PCGS MS62 CAC

If you collect high grade, Condition Census quality Carson City eagles, you know that the 1881-CC is essentially unavailable above MS62. I know of at least six different PCGS MS62's (and have handled four of these) of which all are placed in tightly-held collections. This example, which comes from the exact same source as a very similar quality PCGS MS62 I sold at the FUN show to a CC specialist, is bright and very lustrous with nice medium rose shadings over light golden surfaces. The strike is very sharp and there are just a few minor scuffs seen here and there in the obverse fields; the reverse grades MS63 on its own. The last PCGS MS62 with a CAC sticker to sell at auction was Heritage 6/11: 5208 which brought $13,800. Back in June 2004, a PCGS MS62 sold for $16,100 in the Goldberg auction. With the CC gold market poised to be reignited by the upcoming sale of the Battle Born collection, I would suggest that serious collectors take advantage of opportunities such as this 1881-CC eagle while they are still available.

1881-CC $10.00 NGC MS61

Every Carson City eagle struck prior to 1890-CC is difficult to find in Uncirculated but the 1881-CC is the only issue that is sometimes seen in Uncirculated, albeit in grades from MS60 to MS62. This fresh-from-Europe example has superb deep natural color with even medium reddish-orange hues on the obverse; the reverse is similar but deeper with some natural grease stains around MERI in AMERICA. The underlying luster is frosty in texture with only a few scuffs in the upper left obverse field keeping this piece from strong consideration at the MS62 level. Only four examples have appeared at auction in this grade in the last four years and I have only handled a few examples finer than MS61 including the Eliasberg MS64 coin that is the single finest known. Of the few dozen 1881-CC eagles known in Uncirculated, few have the eye appeal that this coin and only a handful show this degree of originality. A great coin for the date collector or the type collector looking for a single better date Liberty Head eagle for his set dated prior to 1890.

1881-CC $10.00 PCGS AU58 CAC

A tremendously appealing "slider" example with fully original deep orange-gold and reddish color that is contrasted by some deeper hues on the relief details. This coin probably never saw circulation but it has light friction on the high spots from being transported overseas in a bag. That said, it is still more attractive than most CC eagles that I see in MS60 and MS61 holders. The 1881-CC is the most available Carson City eagle from the 1880's but it is still many times more scarce than the 1890-CC, 1891-CC and 1892-CC both in terms of overall and high grade rarity. Most of the nicer 1881-CC eagles that rare available have been found in overseas sources in the last decade or so. This date remains scarce in Uncirculated and very rare in properly graded MS62 and higher. The last PCGS AU58 to sell at auction was Heritage 1/11: 7092 which brought $3,738; the present example is far more original and far more appealing in my opinion.