1803/2 $5 MS(PCGS#8084)

1803/2 $5 MS (PCGS#8084)

November 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

Lot Description: 1803/2 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. BD-1. Rarity-4. Imperfect T, 3 Free Of Bust. AU-50 (PCGS). OGH. A warmly patinated golden-honey example with tinges of pale orange evident as the surfaces rotate under a light. Otherwise sharply struck, the reverse is soft at the shield, arrow cluster and the eagle's left talon due to a concentration of adjustment marks (as made) in those areas. As with the previous year, both obverse dies employed to produce the 1803-dated half eagles all bear an overdate. The obverse die used on the BD-1 pairing is readily discernible by the broken/missing right serif on the foot of the T in LIBERTY matched with a reverse used in the BD-7 pair from the previous year. All told, four combinations of dies have been recorded, producing a total of approximately 32,506 pieces, with the BD-1 pair the most available of the four (edging out the BD-3 and BD-4 by a slim margin). Even so, there are only an estimated 150 to 200 coins believed extant in any degree of preservation; such is the state of early gold that even with so comparatively few survivors this is considered a common variety. Long popular among advanced type collectors as well as early half eagle specialists, this pleasing AU example is not to be overlooked. BD Die State a/b. Provenance: From the Monterrey Collection. PCGS# 8084. NGC ID: 25NY. Click here for certification details from PCGS.