1903-S Liberty Head Half Eagle. MS-66+ (PCGS). CAC.

This beautiful half eagle offers strong technical quality and phenomenal eye appeal. Both sides exhibit a delightful blend of soft satin luster and vivid pinkish-orange color. The strike is razor sharp throughout with the entire design fully appreciable. It ranks as one of the finest certified survivors, and would do justice to the most advanced gold cabinet. One of the longest running designs in U.S. Mint history, the Liberty Head half eagle made its debut in 1839 and remained in production through 1908 when it was supplanted by the Indian type. Two major designs comprise the basic Liberty Head half eagle type, the No Motto coinage of 1839 to 1866 and its With Motto counterpart of 1866 to 1908. Collectors seeking a single high quality example to represent this series typically gravitate to late date issues like the 1903-S for, generally speaking, they include most of the best produced and most carefully preserved Liberty head $5s. On the other hand, the softness of gold as a coinage metal and the manner in which they were handled means that most Mint State survivors of even overall plentiful issues are usually confined to lower grades through MS-65 due to abrasions. The present example is a magnificent exception.

PCGS# 8408. NGC ID: 25Z3.