1810 $5 BD-1, Small Date, Tall 5 MS(PCGS#507596)

1810 $5 BD-1, Small Date, Tall 5 MS (PCGS#507596)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: BD Die State c/c. Nicely composed for the assigned grade, this lustrous and frosty example offers vivid medium gold color. Both the quality of strike and level of surface preservation are superior for a MS-62 half eagle of this challenging early design type.<p>By 1810, half eagles were struck in substantial quantities to serve the ever-growing demand for gold from bullion depositors. Four die marriages are known from four separate obverse dies and three reverse dies. An estimated 20,00 to 30,000 coins were produced from the die pair represented here, evidently on at least two separate occasions, according to Bass and Dannreuther (2006). Much like most of the early half eagles, large numbers were melted down, leaving few surviving pieces. While the BD-1 variety is the second most common die pair, it is significantly scarcer in all grades than the Large Date, Large 5 BD-4 die marriage. Somewhere around 150 to 200 or so specimens are estimated to exist. Among these coins, very few examples in lower Mint State grades can challenge the present coin in terms of overall quality and eye appeal. A captivating piece destined for the finest of half eagle cabinets.