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

Lot Number: 1045

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/1389*1045

1810 $5 Large Date, Small 5, BD-3, High R.7 -- Smoothed Fields -- PCGS Net Grade VF30. HBJ-113; HBJ-245. The fields of this yellow-gold example are smoothed as PCGS describes, while the sharpness is solid in the AU range. Both sides show the expected circulation marks.
Variety Equivalents: Adams unlisted, Breen 1-B, Miller-110, Bass-3118.
Obverse Die: The Large Date obverse is found on BD-3 and BD-4.
Reverse Die: The reverse is shared between 1810 BD-2 and BD-3.
Bass-Dannreuther Die State a/c: Combined with a perfect obverse is this cracked reverse that has a die crack connecting the tops of NITED with another from the scroll over the P to the corner of the first S and the field over the wing. A crack from the edge runs upward beside the lowest leaf to the left-most claw.
PCGS Population Data (10/25): Two of the three PCGS certified examples of this rarity are offered in the present sale. The third is certified AU53.
Significant Examples: This is the third finest of four examples known to us.
Breen (1966): Breen wrote about this example: "I have seen only one, the George Gozan coin. There are two auction records for coins in the same condition: Geiss 1676 and lot 4173 of the Miami-F.U.N. sale. Presumably either the Geiss piece found its way into Gozan's collection, or else it went to the consignor of the F.U.N. sale; Gozan still has his coin."
Bass-Dannreuther (2006): This is the second Harry Bass coin: "His other example of this exceedingly rare variety was from George Gozan, via Paramount, part of a set of the four varieties of 1810. Bass notes indicate that Gozan helped him 'a great deal.' Bass was quick to acknowledge others who provided him information."
Heritage Commentary: The current grade assigned to this example is one of the extremely rare instances where PCGS assigned a net grade to a coin. Earlier "problem" coins were assigned a "Genuine" label with no grade; later versions were given Details grades (i.e. "XF details, environmental damage").
Doug Winter Commentary: A true rarity and one of the more under-appreciated early half eagles. I blame this on the complexity of the four varieties that exist for 1810 half eagles. Just try to remember this; there are two 1810 Small Date half eagles with the Small 5 being the rare one. There are two Large Date half eagles with the Small 5 again the rare one.
Provenance: George Gozan Collection (Auction '80, Paramount, 8/1980), lot 923, as part of a complete set of all four 1810 $5 varieties; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, Part II (Bowers and Merena, 10/1999), lot 794; Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection (Heritage 1/2012), lot 4667; Purchased privately on May 20, 2012.
From The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles.

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