1862-S LIBERTY $5 MS61

BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED SURFACES. LESS THAN 100 SPECIMEN EXIST TODAY IN ALL GRADES. JUST A SINGLE MS62 GRADED HIGHER AT PCGS. Unlike P-mint gold issues produced during the Civil War era, those struck in the San Francisco Mint continued to enjoy widespread circulation on the West Coast throughout the 1860s. This fact explains why the 1862-S Half Eagle is even more elusive than an original mintage of 9,500 pieces might suggest. The vast majority of these coins were lost in circulation, and survivors are rare and seldom offered at even the largest numismatic conventions. When available, the '62-S is apt to be well worn. Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated survivors are rare, and we believe that the issue is currently unique in Mint State. As an interesting aside, Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth (" Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins: 1795-1933 ," 2006) report that the 1862-S Half Eagle is one of the few coins missing from the National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institution.