1818 $5 STATESOF MS(PCGS#8121)

1818 $5 STATESOF MS (PCGS#8121)

The March 2010 Baltimore Auction

详细说明: 1818 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-2, HBCC-3130, Miller-124. Rarity-4. STATESOF. MS-61 (PCGS). The three-known die marriages of the 1818 Half Eagle are easy to distinguish since two of the varieties display very prominent diagnostics. On examples of BD-2, as represented by the coin in this lot, the words STATES and OF in the reverse legend are so closely spaced that they appear as one word. This is the most frequently encountered die marriage of the issue, but we stress that all issues and varieties in the Capped Head Left Five-Dollar series of 1813-1834 and scarce-to-rare in numismatic circles. Examples of this type saw widespread melting through the mid-1830s, explaining the paucity of survivors and confirming this as one of the most challenging of all U.S. gold coin series to collect.<br /> A scarce piece in an absolute sense, this BU example also offers undeniable rarity from a condition standpoint. Satiny in sheen with rich, even, orange-gold color, both sides also present an overall sharp strike from the dies. Only on the reverse, in fact, do we see significant softness of detail, which is confined to the eagle's left (facing) wing and leg. Light scuffiness to the surfaces is commensurate with the assigned grade, although we are compelled to mention a few wispy obverse grazes over and before Liberty's portrait.