1875-CC

Carson City struck just 11,828 half eagles in 1875, a modest output that dwarfed the same year's Philadelphia figure of only 200 business strikes. The Nevada mint was deep into its second decade of operation, refining bullion drawn from the still-productive Comstock Lode and converting it into coinage that actually circulated through Virginia City saloons and California banks. Half eagles were a workhorse denomination on the Pacific slope, and the CC facility kept producing them while the eastern mint essentially abandoned the format that year. The 1875-CC sits in the middle stretch of the Carson City half eagle run that began in 1870 and continued through 1893, ranking among the lower mintages of the entire series. It carries the CC mintmark on the reverse, beneath the heraldic eagle's tail feathers.

Authentic 1875-CC half eagles must weigh 8.359 grams at 21.6 mm with a reeded edge and 90% gold, 10% copper composition. Because the date commands strong premiums, counterfeit detection matters here. The most common deception is an added CC mintmark on a genuine 1875 Philadelphia coin, so collectors should examine the area beneath the eagle for tooling marks, mismatched metal flow around the punch, or a mintmark sitting at the wrong angle relative to the feathers. A second diagnostic is strike quality: Carson City dies of this period often produced soft definition on the eagle's neck feathers and upper shield lines, so a suspiciously crisp strike on an otherwise worn coin warrants extra scrutiny. PCGS or NGC certification is effectively mandatory at this rarity level.

Doug Winter's Carson City gold reference treats the 1875-CC as one of the more difficult dates in the CC half eagle series, with most survivors clustered between Fine and Extremely Fine. About Uncirculated coins appear at major auctions only a few times per year, and Mint State examples are genuinely rare with just a handful certified across both major services. Heritage and Stack's Bowers have realized strong five-figure prices for AU specimens, and the few Mint State pieces that surface trade well into the mid-five-figure range. For collectors building a CC half eagle date set, the 1875-CC is an obtainable key in circulated grades but a serious budget commitment in higher condition. Visit our Liberty Head Half Eagle series history.