1914-D $5 MS64+ Certification #19111252, PCGS #8528

CAC. PCGS Secure. The 1914-D half eagle, with a mintage of 247,000 coins, is a rare issue in higher grades, as the population data reveals. This highly lustrous and frosty example has brilliant honey-gold luster with pristine surfaces. Only two 1914s of any grade have received a Plus designation. Population: 2 in 64+, 14 finer (7/10).

David Akers (1975/88)

This issue is certainly one of the most under-appreciated issues of the series, the Denver Mint equivalent of the 1911-S. It is very scarce in any Mint State grade and almost all of the known examples are only MS-63 or less. Even in MS-64, the 1914-D is almost never encountered and true gems probably number in the single digits! I have seen a handful of MS-65 specimens over the years but nothing better and it is entirely possible, even likely, that a specimen finer than MS-65 does not exist.

This issue is always well struck and the mintmark, though not particularly well defined, is generally quite bold with considerable relief. The lustre is usually very good (but not "booming" or radiant) and the color is typically orange and greenish gold or sometimes an attractive coppery gold. The surfaces have some granularity but not as much as the 1914 or such other Denver Mint issues as the 1908-D and 1911-D. The "eye appeal" of a high grade (MS-64 or better) specimen is invariably excellent.