1838 $5 MS65+ 认证号32916356, PCGS号8176

My grade: SP 66. Provenance: Lorin G. Parmelee Collection; New York Coin and Stamp Company’s (H.P. Smith and David Proskey) sale of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, June 1890, lot 1083; Byron Reed Collection; City of Omaha, by descent, 1891; Christie’s / Spink America’s sale of the Byron Reed Collection, October 1996, lot 126; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection; Bowers and Merena’s sale of the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part II, October 1999, lot 865.

Ron Guth

The 1838 Half Eagle is a fairly common coin as far as Classic Head Half Eagles go.  It is not as common as the higher-mintage 1834 Plain 4 and the 1836, but it is far less rare than the lower-mintage 1834 Crosslet 4, 1838-C, and 1838-D.  Akers wrote that truly choice Uncirculated examples are rare, but the PCGS CoinFacts Condition Census includes ten examples that are at least MS64 or better.  The finest example is a phenomenal MS68 (estimated grade) example in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, followed by a single PCGS MS66, then a PCGS MS65+ that is fully prooflike (and has actually been called a Proof in the past by both Walter Breen and David Akers).  Akers was correct in noting that this date comes well struck.

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David Akers (1975/88)

As a date, the 1838 is more rare than the 1834 Plain 4, 1835, or 1836 but not quite as scarce, particularly in choice condition, as the 1837. Most specimens I have seen have been quite well struck. Average uncirculated examples are seen from time to time but truly choice uncirculated pieces are very rare.