1799 $10 Large Stars Obverse MS(PCGS#8562)

Spring 2023 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

3232

等级

AU58

价格

220,344

详细说明

1799 BD-9 Eagle Rarity Only 14 to 18 Coins Believed Extant 1799 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-9, Taraszka-21. Rarity-6+. Large Obverse Stars. AU-58 (PCGS). Here is an exciting offering for specialists in the early ten-dollar gold eagle series. This is a generally bold example of the elusive 1799 BD-9 variety with the central design elements sharply to fully defined. Denticulation is full around both sides, but we do note softness of detail to isolated peripheral features, including stars 1 to 3 on the obverse, the bottom of Liberty's portrait, stars 2 to 4 and the adjacent clouds on the reverse, and the eagle's tail and wing tips. The overall quality of strike is very similar to that seen on the Bass-Dannreuther plate coin. Both sides exhibit a softly frosted texture with much of the original mint finish remaining. Warm, deep orange-olive color is seen throughout, and the surfaces are free of all but a few trivial handling marks that are consistent with the assigned grade. BD Die State a/b. BD-9 and BD-10 are the only two varieties of the 1799 eagle that display large stars on the obverse, and they were struck from the same obverse die. We know that these varieties were the last produced with the 1799 date because the Large Obverse Stars style continues through the end of the circulation strike Capped Bust Right series in 1804. Apparently the small obverse star punch broke during production of one of the earlier 1799-dated obverses, and was replaced by a device punch for a large, thick star. Interestingly, this large, thick star punch was itself replaced with a large, thin star punch beginning with the obverse die of the 1801 BD-2 variety, although the 1804 BD-1 Crosslet 4 obverse was also created using the large, thick star punch. As with so many scarce to rare early eagle varieties, the elusiveness of 1799 BD-9 is due to some unknown damage befalling one of the dies, in this case the reverse. Since there are no known examples of this variety struck from a terminal state of the reverse, whatever caused that die to fail must have happened so suddenly that Mint employees retired the die before it struck more than a few additional coins, if any at all. The damage certainly occurred early in the press run, for no more than 1,250 coins are believed to have been struck from this pairing (per John W. Dannreuther, 2006). The obverse die remained perfect, however, for that is the earliest state known in the 1799 BD-10 marriage. With fewer than 20 coins believed extant (perhaps fewer than 15), 1799 BD-9 represents a significant find for the specialist whenever an example appears on the market. One of numerous early eagle highlights in this sale, and sure to see spirited bidding. Provenance: From the Harvey B. Jacobson Jr. Collection. PCGS# 8562. NGC ID: 2625. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.