1864-S Coronet $5 Half Eagle
The Coronet $5 half eagle was introduced in 1839 and continued to 1908. In 1866, the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the reverse. During its lengthy run, there are many rare dates to aspire for with amazing records of price performance.
The 1864-S is one such coin. All the half eagles coming from the San Francisco Mint during the 1860’s are extremely elusive, but the 1864-S has the lowest mintage of all from the decade with just 3,888 pieces.(1)
Of that small mintage, only 32 examples are thought extant today.(2)
Looking at the 1950-1990 period, prices for the 1864 Coronet half eagle rose steadily, reflecting its true rarity and demand from collectors.
Incredibly, the 1864-S was temporarily underrated from 1990-2010, as value trends were flat. Then, suddenly, prices exploded and have been on the rise ever since.
| Estimated survivors in all grades: 32 ?
The survivor estimate from PCGS represents an average of one or more experts' opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in all grades. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services. Learn more at PCGS. |
| PCGS Rarity Scale: 8.8 ?
The 'PCGS CoinFacts Rarity Scale' assesses the relative rarity of all U.S. coins, based on estimated surviving examples. The scale runs from 1.0 to 10.0. The higher the number, the rarer the coin.
Learn more at PCGS. |
| Click HERE to check for availability on eBay** |
Preview of eBay selection (Very difficult to locate 1864-S $5 for sale - also click HERE link just above to check):
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| Trendline Avg = 20.93 | BETTER |
Historic Value Trend Charts:
| Last updated 8-7-24 |  |
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| Compare to Common Date Coin of Same Type | ||
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Sources
1. Yeoman, R.S. and Garrett, Jeff, et al. A Guide Book of United States Coins, 75th ed. Pelham, AL: Whitman Publishing, 2021.
2. PCGS. 1864-S $5 (Regular Strike).
**Many very fine coin dealers sell on eBay. At any point in time, there may be over one million search results for United States coins. This includes quite a few of the recommendations on our Key Date Coin List.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a rare coin, eBay is certainly worth a look. For your convenience, the links from this site to eBay are coded to bring up only coins certified by PCGS and NGC.
As is always, always the case, never buy a valuable coin from a seller whose trustworthiness cannot be verified. Learn more about this at our chapter Best Places to Buy Coins, which also has a section on doing business on eBay.
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Coin images by Stack's Bowers Galleries.
