Auction Name: 2026 January 8 US Coins Signature Auction - FUN Special Sessions: Ellsworth & Jacobson

Lot Number: 1013

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1389*1013

1798 $5 Large Eagle, Small 8, BD-7, R.7, AU55 PCGS. CAC. HBJ-213. Ex: Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. The present coin was once a highlight of the famous Norweb Collection, before being purchased by Harry Bass in 1987. Only light wear is evident on the high points of the design elements, like Liberty's curls and the eagle's breast. The pleasing antique-gold surfaces retain much original mint luster, with some prooflike reflectivity in selected areas. The overall presentation is quite attractive and the high quality within the grade is confirmed by CAC.
Variety Equivalents: Adams-8, Breen 5-G, Miller-30, Bass-3058.
Obverse Die: This is the only use of the obverse die.
Reverse Die: The reverse die is unknown in any other combination.
Bass-Dannreuther Die State c/b: An obverse crack extends from the edge, through star 1, to the hair, and a reverse crack from the edge crosses AM and the wing to the shield tip.
PCGS Population Data (10/25): The seven varieties of 1798 Heraldic Eagle half eagles include 33 pieces graded AU55, two in AU55+, and 59 finer examples. However, this solitary AU55 example from the Norweb and Bass Collections is the only attributed 1798 BD-7 half eagle that PCGS has examined.
CAC Census (10/25): Certified Acceptance Corporation has certified three examples of the "1798 Normal 8" half eagles and approved 14 others. Those submissions include four examples graded AU55 and four finer pieces.
Significant Examples: While a roster of 1798 BD-7 half eagles is pending, we expect that this famous example from the Norweb Collection will rank high on that list. It is the finest that we have handled.
Breen (1966): Breen cited that Adams plate coin and the example in the Cicero Collection (New Netherlands Coin Co., December 1960) as the only two known to him and wrote that the Adams plate coin had dropped out of sight, noting further: "No other auction catalogues known to me have illustrated or described a coin from these dies."
Bass-Dannreuther (2006): John Dannreuther estimates the BD-7 dies were only used to strike 400-800 examples of the reported mintage, making the variety extremely elusive today. With the surviving population estimated at just 6-10 examples in all grades, the BD-7 is just as rare as the better-known 1798 Small Eagle variety.
Heritage Commentary: The Philadelphia Mint struck 24,867 Capped Bust Right half eagles in 1798, with eight die varieties known for the date. One variety, BD-1, is the famous 1798 Small Eagle half eagle, a classic rarity in the series. The other seven varieties employ the Large Eagle reverse. This coin represents the BD-7 variety, with a Normal 8 in the date close to the bust, and four lines in the vertical stripes of the shield.

Since the 1993 start of our Permanent Auction Archives, we have offered just three different examples of 1798 BD-7 half eagles, and this example from the Norweb and Bass Collections is the finest of those. The others are an AU53 NGC example from the Long Island Collection that we sold in February 2022, and a cleaned and scratched AU piece that we sold most recently in January 2007. Stack's Bowers offered a cleaned AU example in June 2022, writing that is was the first offering of the die pairing that they recall handling. Opportunities such as this are rarely encountered.
Doug Winter Commentary: Just a great coin with terrific overall eye appeal for the variety and the grade and a pretty decent pedigree dating back to 1909.
Provenance: Purchased by Albert Fairchild Holden from "Kendrick" on September 16, 1909; Norweb Collection, Part I (Bowers and Merena, 10/1987), lot 743; Harry W. Bass, Jr.; Harry W. Bass, Jr., Core Collection (Heritage, 9/2022), lot 11032. The identity of Kendrick is likely Kendrick's Money Exchange, a Boston, Massachusetts business located at 218 Washington Street. The business advertised in four issues of The Numismatist in 1911.
From The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles.

Include Thumbnail(s)