The 1849 Coronet Liberty Head Half Eagle Gold Coin (Five Dollar Gold Piece)

The Half Eagle ($5.00 gold piece) was the very first gold denomination of any type minted by the United States. It was first authorized by Congress in 1792. The specimen above, which comes from a later series minted from 1839 to 1866, features a minor die variety where the "49" of the date is slightly doubled. This example was certified 1849/49 by NGC and graded AU-55. It sold for $1,000.00 in June of 2006.