1798 $5 BD-6, Small 8 MS(PCGS#507326)

August 2011 Chicago ANA - Rarities Night

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

7652

等级

MS61

价格

146,917

详细说明

1798 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. Large Eagle. Miller-29, HBCC-3057, BD-6. Rarity-6. Small 8. MS-61 (NGC). Bright yellow gold with a distinctive prooflike appearance, pale olive highlights, and lively mint luster. Moderately heavy planchet adjustment marks run diagonally across Liberty's portrait, chiefly in the cap and hair details, though a few lines engage her face. A tiny toning fleck is seen beneath Liberty's chin. The reverse is weak at the center, not unusual for the date or the design type. Among the five finest examples of the issue seen thus far by NGC. Regarding the variety, the Bass-Dannreuther reference notes: "There are many who consider the 1798 Normal 8 coins quite rare. In absolute terms this is true, but in half eagle terms, they are merely scarce. This variety has about three dozen known." Of the three dozen or so known, the present specimen ranks high in the count. A nice opportunity for an early half eagle collector or type coin specialist. Numismatic Reflections by Q. David Bowers A rare die variety comes to the fore with this lovely BD-6. Going back 10 or 20 years ago, interest in die varieties was rather minimal, mainly limited to certain people who read Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Coins. Then came the Miller reference, going beyond that and increasing interest. Then came the finishing touch, the Bass-Dannreuther book. Today, the appeal of collecting early die varieties has expanded considerably. All of this started, of course, with large copper cents then moved on to other series. Today in 2011 varieties of early silver coins play to a dynamic audience, and gold coins, while not as popular due to the entry fee to the series, are in very strong demand. This coin will be just right if you are an advanced specialist. PCGS# 8079. NGC Census: 3; 2 finer for the variety (MS-63 finest).