1805 $5 MS(PCGS#8088)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3295

Grade

MS62

Price

18,000

Lot Description

BD Die State a/a. Bright, flashy surfaces exhibit subtle overtones of reddish-rose to a base of warm golden-olive. Both sides are boldly struck with a lustrous satin to semi-reflective finish. Wispy handling marks help to explain the BU grade from NGC, but in the absence of sizeable distractions the in hand appearance is quite smooth.<p>The output of the 33,183 half eagles coined at Philadelphia dated 1805 was achieved through four obverse dies and two reverse dies in a total of five known combinations. The obverse of the Bass-Dannreuther 1 die marriage is easily identified by having a complete bottom left serif in the numeral 1 in the date; a broken punch was used for the second obverse. The reverse is discernible by carefully observing that one of the two rightmost leaves in the branch in the eagle's talons just touches the extreme left corner of the letter I in AMERICA, and the letters IT in UNITED are closely spaced. The BD-1 die pair proved to be among the more resilient, lasting for an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 impressions before the reverse die eventually failed with a massive cud covering most of the tops of the letters UNIT in UNITED (BD Die State c/c).<p>While almost all early gold half eagles are rare due to the mass meltings of the 1820s and 1830s, this is one of the more available varieties even in Mint State. Dannreuther estimates that approximately 175 to 225 examples of the BD-1 pairing survive, likely accounting for little more than half the total number of 1805 half eagles thought to remain. Attractive in every regard, the present specimen would be just right for a high grade type set or specialized early gold collection.