1878-CC $5 MS(PCGS#8346)

1878-CC $5 MS (PCGS#8346)

Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: One of the finest 1878-CC half eagles available to today's gold collectors and Carson City Mint enthusiasts. Displaying vivid reddish-gold color, blooms of powder blue are also evident at lower obverse, just above the date, and near the lower left reverse border. Ample evidence of a bold to sharp strike remains, as does luster that is most intense in the protected areas around and among the design elements. Whereas most survivors of this issue are heavily marked, this piece is a refreshing alternative with only wispy hairlines and other signs of light handling evident in most viewing situations.<p>The mintage for the 1878-CC half eagle is just 9,045 pieces, a modest figure for the era, although typical of many 1870s Carson City Mint gold issues. CC-Mint expert Rusty Goe (2020) provides an estimate of just 75 to 85 coins extant in all grades, only 32 to 40 of which are at the EF and AU levels. Although NGC lists both an MS-63 and an MS-63 PL for this issue, Goe asserts that these are data entry errors on the part of the firm as "no such coin (or coins) exists to match any entry NGC has recorded in its census for a Mint State 1878-CC half eagle." The issue is unknown in Mint State, as such, confirming the significance of this rare PCGS-certified Choice About Uncirculated example for advanced bidders.