Heritage World Coin Auctions
CSNS Signature US Coin Sale 1254 26-28 Apr 2017
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Early Half Eagles
1808/7 $5 Wide Date, BD-1, R.6, MS61 NGC. Bass-Dannreuther Die State c/c. According to Mint records, 55,578 Capped Bust Left half eagles were struck in 1808, the second year of the design. Four die varieties are known for the date, two with perfect dates and two struck from leftover obverse dies from 1807 that were overdated and pressed into service. This coin represents the BD-1 overdate variety, with a short 1 in the date, centered over a dentil. The remnants of the undertype 7 are plainly visible at the upper left and lower left of the final 8, and inside the top loop. The BD-1 is a rare variety, with only 20-30 examples extant in all grades. It probably accounted for 2,000-3,000 pieces of the reported mintage and is by far the rarest variety of the date. This was the only use of the obverse die, which failed quickly, but the reverse was used again to strike the 1808/7 BD-2 and 1808 BD-3 varieties.
The present coin is a sharply detailed MS61 example from a late state of the dies. A bisecting obverse die crack travels from the edge at 1 o'clock, through the bust and first 8 in the date, to the edge at 6 o,clock. This crack probably caused the die to fail. Another extensive crack runs from the edge at 7 o'clock, through the bust tip to star 1, into the field, back through stars 3-7, to the cap. On the reverse, some detail in the eagle's feathers below the shield has been lost to lapping. The lustrous orange-gold surfaces show some scattered, minor contact marks that do little to detract from the outstanding eye appeal.
From The Hutchinson Collection, Part II.
HID02901242017
1808/7 $5 Wide Date, BD-1, R.6, MS61 NGC. Bass-Dannreuther Die State c/c. According to Mint records, 55,578 Capped Bust Left half eagles were struck in 1808, the second year of the design. Four die varieties are known for the date, two with perfect dates and two struck from leftover obverse dies from 1807 that were overdated and pressed into service. This coin represents the BD-1 overdate variety, with a short 1 in the date, centered over a dentil. The remnants of the undertype 7 are plainly visible at the upper left and lower left of the final 8, and inside the top loop. The BD-1 is a rare variety, with only 20-30 examples extant in all grades. It probably accounted for 2,000-3,000 pieces of the reported mintage and is by far the rarest variety of the date. This was the only use of the obverse die, which failed quickly, but the reverse was used again to strike the 1808/7 BD-2 and 1808 BD-3 varieties.
The present coin is a sharply detailed MS61 example from a late state of the dies. A bisecting obverse die crack travels from the edge at 1 o'clock, through the bust and first 8 in the date, to the edge at 6 o,clock. This crack probably caused the die to fail. Another extensive crack runs from the edge at 7 o'clock, through the bust tip to star 1, into the field, back through stars 3-7, to the cap. On the reverse, some detail in the eagle's feathers below the shield has been lost to lapping. The lustrous orange-gold surfaces show some scattered, minor contact marks that do little to detract from the outstanding eye appeal.
From The Hutchinson Collection, Part II.
HID02901242017