As a date, the 1843 half eagle is the second most common issue of the 1840s. David Akers states that it is only moderately rare in the lower Uncirculated grades. However, at the MS64 level, the coin is very elusive. In The Official Red Book of Auction Records 1994-2003, Jeff Garrett and John Dannreuther were able to find only four offerings of MS64 coins during that ten-year period.