1800 $5 BD-4, R.4, MS64 PCGS Secure. CAC....

Description

1800 Half Eagle, Sharp MS64
BD-4, Just One Finer at PCGS

1800 $5 BD-4, R.4, MS64 PCGS Secure. CAC. Bass-Dannreuther Die State c/a. Faint crack through IBER. There were five die pairings used to strike the 1800-dated half eagles. The sole Pointed 1 die marriage, BD-1, employed a completely different obverse die, paired with a reverse carried over from 1799. Interestingly, the 1800-dated Pointed 1 was struck between various 1799 pairings, according to Bass-Dannreuther.

Four Blunt 1 marriages followed, BD-2 through BD-5, and all use the same obverse die. There is no flag atop the 1 in the date, hence the name. Each of the four reverse die pairings are different, and the BD-4 reverse is one of the more interesting ones. The inside bottom-left serif of the last A in AMERICA touches the eagle's claw. Several letters in the legend show apparent strike or "bounce" doubling, where the die bounced with separation between the blows to the planchet. The M in AMERICA, on the other hand, is clearly repunched, "seemingly from the same punch" as Bass-Dannreuther note, although Harry Bass thought it was from a larger M punch. Very likely, the bounce doubling was the source of confusion, since the M appears recut both left and right, giving the illusion of a wider M beneath the primary letter (doubled narrowly on the left, widely on the right).

Orange-gold surfaces display a greenish tinge, and in concert with the near-Gem grade, this is an especially pleasing and minimally marked example of the scarce variety, rare at the grade level. There are no planchet adjustment marks visible on either side. While technically not grade-affecting, adjustment marks are avoided by some collectors. Some pinprick indents appear in front of Liberty's lips and nose. This is boldly struck acquisition for early gold specialists, with Choice eye appeal and outstanding technical merit. Housed in a PCGS Secure holder. Population (all 1800 varieties combined): 8 in 64 (1 in 64+), 1 finer. CAC: 6 in 64, 1 finer (10/17).
Ex: Husky Collection (Stack's, 6/2008), lot 2062; Oliver Collection/Chicago Signature (Heritage, 8/2011), lot 7509, which realized $80,500.
Selections from The McCoy Family Collection of U.S. Early Gold.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25NW, Variety PCGS# 45594, Base PCGS# 8082, Greysheet# 198193)

Weight: 8.75 grams

Metal: 91.67% Gold, 8.33% Copper

Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.

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