In 1839, the design of the half eagle was changed to Christian Gobrecht's new Liberty Head design, replacing the earlier Classic Head coins designed by William Kneass. The coins of 1839 were struck using an obverse hub unlike any other in the series that can be distinguished by the placement of the tenth star on the obverse in relation to Liberty's hair bun. Most dramatically for specialists of Southern gold, the mintmark was placed directly above the date on the obverse, a placement changed to the reverse the following year. As with many of the gold coins struck at the Charlotte Mint, the issue is frequently found with striking irregularities and locating a choice example can be a challenge. The coins immediately entered circulation where they saw extensive use in the region. Most examples are found in the circulated grade levels and frequently are impaired. At the Mint State level, the issue is especially rare and seldom found so choice.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the Summer 2022 Global Showcase Auction, where it realized $336,000.