1848-C

Charlotte struck 64,472 half eagles in 1848, a workmanlike output in the middle of the branch's annual range. The mint coined gold exclusively, with bullion drawn from the placer fields and vein mines of western North Carolina. James Marshall's discovery at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848 was already changing the future of American coinage, but news traveled by ship and post and California metal did not reach the branch mints in any volume until 1849. The CAL gold quarter eagles, struck in Philadelphia from a small parcel that arrived late in the year, were the only U.S. coins made from Sutter's Mill gold in 1848. Charlotte worked its usual southern bullion. The 64,472 figure puts 1848-C above 1842-C, 1843-C, 1845-C, and 1846-C, and modestly below the 84,151 of 1847-C. The mintmark sits on the reverse, a small C below the eagle.

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 is an added C punched onto a genuine Philadelphia 1848 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 1848-C sits in the obtainable tier of Charlotte half eagles per Doug Winter, well behind the appearance-rarity keys like 1844-C, 1846-C, and 1854-C. Estimated survival lands in the 350 to 500 range across all grades. Circulated VF and EF examples appear at Heritage and Stack's Bowers regularly in the four-figure range, AU coins climb into the low five figures depending on eye appeal, and Mint State pieces are genuinely scarce, with most certified examples concentrated between MS-60 and MS-62. New Charlotte collectors typically work toward this date after starting on more available issues. Read the full Liberty Head Half Eagle series history.