1879-CC $5 MS(PCGS#8349)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

8088

Grade

AU58

Price

16,800

Lot Description

Vivid orange-honey color with lighter golden-yellow outlining many of the design elements. Much frosty luster remains, and while the surfaces show signs of numismatic mishandling, they remain smooth and well composed in the absence of sizeable marks. Due to outlandish railroad tariffs, by the late 1870s it was more profitable for Nevada miners to send their bullion for coinage to the San Francisco Mint as opposed to the nearby Carson City facility. Carson City Mint expert Rusty Goe (August 2012) states that, "By 1879, Nevada's miners were already sending about 100 times as much of their gold to the San Francisco Mint than they were depositing in Carson City, and about 13 times as much silver." It is little wonder, therefore, that the Nevada branch mint produced so few gold coins of any denomination in 1879. The 1879-CC half eagle boasts a limited mintage of 17,281 pieces, and it is a scarce issue in an absolute sense. Rusty Goe (2020) provides for only 235 to 275 survivors in all grades in Volume 2 of his outstanding reference <em>The Confident Carson City Coin Collector</em>. This desirable NGC AU-58 example will garner plenty of attention from specialists of the series.