1840-D Half Eagle $5 SS New York NGC MS62 CAC. 1840-D $5 Liberty Head, No Motto, SS New York, Half Eagle. The SS New York was lost in a hurricane in 1846 in the Gulf of Mexico. Her cargo, including precious rare southern branch mint gold coins, went to the bottom with her. 161 years later the treasure was recovered and along with it this stunning coin.

This is truly a remarkable offering. Minted in Dahlonega, Georgia, this half eagle coin has it all. The 1840-D is a terrifically challenging date to begin with, especially in grades About Uncirculated and above. The survival estimates for this date are 130-140 pieces and the combined certified population at PCGS/NGC is 141 (a number surely tainted by resubmissions). Of that number, only 7 examples have ever been graded in MS62 with a lone piece graded higher. Therefore, couple the extreme desirability of Dahlonega gold with extreme conditional rarity and then add in the romance and lore of a shipwreck and treasure hunt and you have a numismatic jewel.

The specimen offered here for your consideration has a crisp strike with only the slightest bit of softness on the horizontal lines on the shield. The rich yellow golden surfaces are absent of major distracting marks and abrasions. A mere handful of contact marks are all that stand between this gorgeous piece and a higher grade. Attesting to this fact, CAC has approved this coin and placed their sticker on the holder.

It is worth noting that the finest specimen of 3 in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution is an AU58 example. This is a truly breathtaking, PQ+++ Dahlonega Half Eagle worthy of placement in a superior numismatic portfolio.