Carson City - the Eagle AU58 w CAC - the nicest coin I own, at least in terms of eye appeal. I purchased the half eagle in an off brand slab, graded as xf45. I broke it out and sent it to NGC - AU58!
Nice coin and upgrade. Had a $1 go from anacs 53 to pcgs 58. Personally I thought the 53 the right grade but. I'll take it!
I'm becoming convinced too. Just got my first AU58 coin today... Very pleased! Of course it's not as nice as an MS65. But at 1/10 the cost, I think it's a super bargain.
@COCollector , I love the AU58 option for certain coins. Like you said, prefer the MS65, but in many cases, it's not financially possible so the high AU is a great alternative.
I was working on Barber dimes & quarters in high end AU's. At a small percentage of the choice unc prices, why not. Many are nicer than MS-63's, so I call them AU-63's.