FROM THE BIGMO CIVIL WAR COLLECTION EX GARDNER No question this is a delicious VERY HIGH END GEM. 158 years old and it looks as good as ever! Tied for FINEST graded at PCGS, this SUPERB example is a very special Civil War era numismatic relic. Immaculate surfaces have fewer lines and ticks than the old green tag holder in which it resides. There is a generous amount of satiny luster that softly glows under the iridescent toning. Both sides have a thicker, yet even mix of totally original reddish gold, honey gold, forest green, blue, and pale purple colors. Miss Liberty and the details are exceptionally struck. The eye appeal is superb! The mintage of half dollars in 1862 dropped to 253,000 pieces, most of which disappeared into circulation. Today, this date is remarkably RARE in Mint State, PCGS CoinFacts estimates 150 survive in all Mint State grades, only 20 or so in GEM. In the Western Theater of the war, General Ulysses S. Grant had much more success driving the Confederate forces. A more aggressive campaign was waged. By the end of 1862, Union forces had driven the Confederates out of New Orleans and captured much of the length of the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers. The Union victory at Fort Donelson earned General Grant the nickname Unconditional Surrender Grant. PCGS 5, NGC 6, CAC 4. This coin was the last 1862 PCGS MS66 CAC piece to sell in any major auction, when it brought $18,800 in May 2015. Let us say that again; $18,800 back in May 2015. It's 2020 now and NONE have sold via auction since. That is a powerful statement as to the rarity of this date and grade. A side note: this coin was sold way back in 2001 to Gene Gardner from our sister company Legend Numismatics; 19 years this coin pretty much has been off the market, impounded in the Gardner then BigMo Collections! Good luck! Cert. Number 7454710 PCGS # 6307