1861-C $5 NGC AU53 CAC

1861 is the final year of production for the Charlotte Mint, ending a run of 24 years of service from this short lived southern branch mint.   The romance of this issuance is multiplied further as a Civil War date and even more by the fact that mint records show that about 15% of the total years mintage was issued by the Confederacy after the institution was seized in April of 1861.

The popularity of the date and mintmark, combined with absolute rarity in AU and above, make this a fantastic find for the well heeled collector of Charlotte coinage, civil war dates or a key date mintmarked type set.   When you add in the very minimally abraded surfaces, light greenish gold color, soft luster and CAC approval, you get a truly remarkable coin, destined for a fine cabinet.

Only 2 CAC approved pieces have crossed the auction block in the past decade.  A VF sold in 2010 for 6,900 while the finest known and very significant finest graded MS63 sold for 164,500 in December of last year.  A ho-hum NGC 53 sold in February of 2021 for 15,000.  It is hard to imagine finding a better coin at anywhere near this price level in the near future.