Does the fact that it is so difficult to find this particular gold coin have any particular rhyme or reason?
Despite the fact that gold coins from the Civil War are already difficult to acquire, the fact that the collector market for costly gold Proofs in the 1860s was so small makes the emergence of any of these coins at auction notable.
This is especially true when considering the Gem state of preservation that the current specimen possesses.
In his significant reference titled United States Proof Coins, Volume IV: Gold, Part Two (2018), John W. Dannreuther, a specialist in gold coins from the United States, states that the Philadelphia Mint struck the whole mintage of 35 pieces on February 16, 1862.
The decisive victory of the Union at the Battle of Fort Donelson, which took place on the same day, resulted in a significant portion of Kentucky and Tennessee falling under the hands of the Central Government.
Although the listing on GreatCollections does not include any pedigree information, CoinWeek was able to identify through the use of image analysis that this particular sample is most likely the Ed Trompeter coin.
All of the photographs of the trompter coin that were published by Heritage Auctions from the coin's sale in 2015 are identical to the image that was found on GreatPhotos. These images include a few die chips that are dispersed along the obverse and reverse of the coin.
NGC was able to assign the coin a grade of PF-66 Ultra Cameo in the year 2015. According to the PCGS condition census table that was provided by CoinFacts, this coin has an estimated grade of PR-65DCAM, making it the Top Pop coin in the CAC census which was conducted.
There have been fourteen bids thus far, with the highest amount reaching $7,250 USD. At the end of the auction on April 7, 2024, at 5:11 PM Pacific Time, CoinWeek predicts that the 1862 Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle Proof will get more than $125,000.