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

Lot Number: 1023

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1389*1023

1802/1 $5 BD-5, R.7, MS62 PCGS. HBJ-223. Bright yellow-gold surfaces retain original mint luster within the confines of the design. The curls on Liberty's portrait, the stars, legends, and feathers all show crisp definition.
Variety Equivalents: Adams-6, Breen 1-E, Miller-50, Bass missing.
Obverse Die: This overdated obverse die was used for BD-1, BD-2, BD-3, BD-4, and BD-5.
Reverse Die: The reverse die was used for 1802/1 BD-5 and BD-6.
Bass-Dannreuther Die State c/b: A crack above the T in LIBERTY would eventually form a cud, leading to this die being retired. Another bold crack runs vertically through the shield.
PCGS Population Data (10/25): The eight varieties of 1802/1 half eagles include 35 that PCGS grades MS62, one graded MS62+, and 55 finer examples.
Significant Examples: The Jacobson Collection coin is the finest of seven 1802/1 BD-5 half eagles known to us and recorded below.
Breen (1966): Reverse dies E and G in Breen's attribution scheme are the same. He noted observing just one example of this die pair: "I describe this piece from lot 1013, 1956 Metropolitan Convention sale, illustrated on page 53. It is distinctive enough so that were many others around they would probably have been noticed."
Bass-Dannreuther (2006): John Dannreuther observed a mere six auction appearances of this variety from 1990 to 2005 and suggests that eight to 10 examples are known. The variety is one of only a few that the late Harry W. Bass, Jr., never acquired during his three decades of collecting.
Heritage Commentary: Maurice Storck (1922-2019) operated a coin shop in Portland, Maine from 1960 until 1970. The World War II veteran was born a raised in that city and, like most of his generation, was influenced by the Great Depression. He served in the U.S. Army and was assigned to serve in Hawaii in 1940, where he witnessed the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. Years later, as a seasoned international traveler, Storck attended the King Farouk sale held in Egypt in 1954, acquiring many items that remained in his collection for six decades until the 2020 sale of his U.S. and world coins.
Doug Winter Commentary: I would be surprised to see this scarce variety sell for any variety premium, but wouldn't you rather own a legit R-7 versus a common R-4 as your Capped Bust Right type coin?
Provenance: Recorded below.

A Roster of Significant Examples provided by Mark Borckardt.
1. MS62 PCGS. Maurice Storck Collection (Heritage, 10/2020), lot 18352. The present specimen.
2. MS61 NGC. Bowers and Ruddy (11/1973), lot 1121; Heritage (8/1996), lot 8282; private collection.
3. AU53 PCGS. American Numismatic Rarities (3/2004), lot 1384.
4. AU50 PCGS. James LaSarre Collection (Stack's Bowers, 3/2019), lot 1144. The Bass-Dannreuther plate coin.
5. AU53 PCGS. Stack's (5/1969); Stack's (5/1995), lot 888. Illustrated at PCGS CoinFacts.
6. XF. Stack's (5/1956), lot 1013.
7. XF Details Repaired NGC. Heritage (2/2011), lot 4435; Stack's Bowers (8/2018), lot 4090.
A. AU55 PCGS. Reported in a private collection. No further details are known.
B. Ungraded. Spink's (5/1995), lot 1256.
From The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles.

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