Ron Guth:
A fresh analysis of the 1871-CC Half Eagle shows a coin with one of the highest certified populations in the 1867-1877 period. Among the CC issues from the 1870s, the 1871-CC and the 1874-CC are the least rare, with virtually identical populations. The 1871-CC Half Eagle is seen most frequently in XF45. AU examples are quite scarce and Mint State examples are exceedingly rare. At this level, not much has changed since Akers recorded his observations for this date in the 1970s. Overlall, this is one of the most desirable and popular dates from this era.