1847-C

Charlotte struck 84,151 half eagles in 1847, one of the largest annual outputs the branch ever produced. The mint coined gold exclusively, and its bullion came almost entirely from the placer fields and vein mines of western North Carolina. The original gold rush of the early 1830s was past its peak by 1847, but the regional industry was still active and 1847 was a genuinely productive year. California was still a year away from changing the entire calculus, so southern bullion still mattered. The 84,151-coin figure puts 1847-C above most other Charlotte half eagle dates of the decade and well above the genuine appearance-rarity keys like 1842-C Small Date, 1844-C, 1846-C, and 1854-C. The mintmark sits on the reverse, a small C below the eagle, where it had moved after the brief 1839 obverse experiment.

Specifications follow the standard Coronet half eagle: 8.359 grams, 21.6 mm in diameter, .900 fine gold over a copper alloy, reeded edge. Authentication starts at the mintmark itself. The most common deception on this date is an added C punched onto a genuine Philadelphia 1847 half eagle, so examine the area below the eagle under at least 10x magnification. Look for a clean tool-free join with the field, surface flow consistent with the surrounding metal, and a font matching the small serifed C used on other Charlotte half eagles of the period. Strike weakness is the second pitfall worth knowing. Charlotte coins routinely show soft stars, flat hair detail above Liberty's ear, and weakness on the eagle's left side. That softness is a striking artifact, not wear, and a graded coin should not be marked down for it.

The 1847-C sits in the obtainable tier of Charlotte half eagles and is one of the dates Doug Winter recommends to collectors building a first Charlotte set. Circulated examples in VF through AU appear at Heritage and Stack's Bowers regularly, often in the four-figure range, with PCGS-graded AU coins climbing into the low five figures depending on eye appeal. Mint State pieces are genuinely scarce and command real premiums when they surface. New Charlotte collectors typically start here or on the 1843-C and 1849-C before working toward the keys. Read the full Liberty Head Half Eagle series history.