1829 $5 Small Diameter, Small Date, BD-2, R.7, MS61 PCGS. CAC....

Description

1829 Small Date Half Eagle, BD-2, MS61
Classic Gold Rarity, CAC Approved
Only 10 Examples Traced
Ex: Harry Bass

1829 $5 Small Diameter, Small Date, BD-2, R.7, MS61 PCGS. CAC. Bass-Dannreuther Die State a/a. The 1829 Capped Head Left half eagle has been a celebrated rarity in the American gold series since the early days of the hobby. Because of the introduction of the close collar mechanism in 1829, two varieties of the date are known. The older type, struck with an open collar, is known as the Large Date. The coin offered here represents the close collar (BD-2) variety, naturally referred to as the Small Date. Both types are very rare and PCGS CoinFacts estimates only eight to nine examples of the Small Date variety are extant today. We have traced 10 examples that we believe are separate coins in our roster below. Heritage is privileged to present an attractive MS61 specimen of this classic rarity in this important offering.

Although there was an example in the Mint Cabinet, and Matthew Stickney seems to have acquired his specimen at an early date, through a private transaction, the Small Date coins were slow to appear on the numismatic market. This caused 19th century catalogers to believe they were even rarer than the Large Date type. Numismatists began to differentiate between the two types by June of 1873, when the first example of the Small Date to appear at auction was featured in lot 491 of the Seavey Descriptive Catalog by William Strobridge. This auction never actually took place, because Lorin G. Parmelee purchased the entire collection intact before the date of the sale. In his Sixty-Ninth Sale of June 1883, John W. Haseltine described another coin in lot 364 as:

"1829 New type. This piece is a size smaller than the last described. The stars, date, and lettering on reverse being also smaller. I do not know that collectors are generally aware of its existence, as I believe that never but one has made its appearance in a sale. Strictly uncirculated and of the highest rarity and importance, showing, as it does, the beginning of the new type."

Coin dealer John Walter Scott called the 1829 Small Date "The the third in order of rarity in the Half Eagles, following 1822 and 1815." This perception of the relative rarity of the two types persisted far into the 20th century, although more examples of the Small Date type continued to appear, finally overtaking the Large Date in terms of total examples known. Present-day collectors believe there are at least 10 surviving examples of the Small Date variety, with seven Large Date specimens accounted for.

The present coin traces its history to the famous Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. Bass was a thoughtful student of the early half eagle series, and his work is the basis of much of what we know today about die states and emission sequences. As might be expected with such a rare coin, the 1829 Small Date half eagle is known in a single die state. The reverse die was used again on the BD-1 variety of the 1830 half eagle, but the 1829 Small Date, BD-2 variety was the first and only use of the obverse die.

This coin is a delightful Mint State example, with fully prooflike reflective fields and softly frosted devices that create a slight cameo effect. The design elements are sharply detailed throughout, and the pleasing yellow-gold surfaces show only minor contact marks. A few light scratches in the left obverse field are noted for pedigree purposes. Overall eye appeal is strong and the high quality within the grade is confirmed by CAC. This lot represents an incredibly important opportunity for the early gold specialist, combining outstanding visual appeal and Mint State technical quality on a coin of surpassing rarity and historical interest. The 1829 Capped Head half eagle is listed among the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins. Population: 1 in 61, 4 finer. CAC: 1 in 61, 3 finer (6/25).

Roster of 1829 Small Date Half Eagles.
This roster was compiled from earlier work by Wayne Burt, Ron Guth, and Saul Teichman. Grades are per the last auction appearance, unless a subsequent certification event is known.
1. PR66 Deep Cameo (per Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth). National Numismatic Collection; Smithsonian Institution (ID #1988.00063.0059).
2. PR66+ Cameo PCGS. George Seavey; Seavey Descriptive Catalog (William Strobridge, 6/1873), lot 491; Lorin G. Parmelee Collection (New York Coin & Stamp Co., 6/1890), lot 989, to "Drew Bart's"; Lyman H. Low; James Ten Eyck (B. Max Mehl, 5/1922), lot 194; Waldo C. Newcomer (Inventory #119, cost $1,275, plate matched to the Newcomer plates); B. Max Mehl; Col. E.H.R. Green; King Farouk, via Stack's; Palace Collections of Egypt (Sotheby's, 2/1954), lot 245; David Spink, acting as agent for the Norwebs; Norweb Collection (Bowers and Merena, 10/1987), lot 779; Harry W. Bass, Jr.; Bass Core Collection (HBCC-3155); Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection, Part IV (Heritage, 8/2023), lot 9061, realized $3,840,000.
3. MS65+ PCGS. Thomas Cleneay (Chapman Brothers, 12/1890), lot 574, purchased by Byron Reed for $72.50; Byron Reed Collection; Omaha City Library/Western Heritage Museum (Spink America/Christies, 10/1996), lot 118; Paul Nugget; purchased by the Pogues in February 2001; D. Brent Pogue Collection, Part IV (Stack's Bowers/ Sotheby's, 5/2016), lot 4037, realized $881,250. In the Spink/Christies catalog, the cataloger stated that Byron Reed acquired this coin from the Emery, Taylor, and Loomis Collection (W.E. Woodward, 3/1880). However, the plate from the Cleneay catalog is an exact match for this specimen.
4. MS63 PCGS. Phineas Adams; William J. Jenks; Sixty-Ninth Sale (John W. Haseltine, 6/1883), lot 364; Harold P. Newlin (privately, 10/31/1884); T. Harrison Garrett; Robert Garrett; John Work Garrett; The Johns Hopkins University (Bowers and Ruddy, 11/1979), lot 472; Stanley Kesselman; Gore and Long Collections (Bowers and Merena, 1/1990), lot 570.
5. MS62 PCGS. CAC. Mocatta Collection; Rarities Night (Stack's Bowers, 8/2022), lot 7161.
6. MS62 PCGS. Reportedly held as a family heirloom for 135 years (after being received as a wedding present) by a Yorktown, Indiana family; Leon Hendrickson; 1967 Grand Central Sale (Paramount, 11/1967), lot 806; Superior (9/1970), lot 574; Davies-Niewoehner Sale (Paramount, 2/1975), lot 562; Greater New York Convention (Paramount, 5/1976), lot 1079.
7. MS61 PCGS. CAC. Rev. Foster Ely Collection (Scott Stamp & Coin Co., 11/1888), lot 43; Harlan Page Smith Collection (Chapman Brothers, 5/1906), lot 219; W.F. Dunham Collection (B. Max Mehl, 6/1941), lot 2102; unknown intermediaries; Kagin's (11/1974), lot 1618; Julian Leidman (8/1978); Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection (Bowers and Merena, 10/1999), lot 821; Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2012), lot 4682, realized $431,250. The present coin.
8. AU50 (per Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth). George H. Earle (Henry Chapman, 6/1912), lot 2397, "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; J.F. Bell Collection (Stack's, 11/1944), lot 351; Clifford Tobias Weihman; Josiah K. Lilly, Jr.; Smithsonian Institution. Possibly earlier from William Woodin (exhibited at the 1914 ANS Exhibition); Waldo Newcomer. Identifiable as the Earle coin by a scratch under the eagle's neck.
9. AU Details NGC. Matthew Adams Stickney; Stickney Collection (Henry Chapman, 6/1907), lot 671; Virgil Brand, per the Brand Journals; Thomas Melish Collection (Abe Kosoff, 4/1956), lot 1953; 1963 FUN (Federal Brand Enterprises, 1/1963), lot 4187, the cataloger of this sale believed the coin in this lot was from the Dunham Collection, but the plate matches the Stickney/Melish plates; NASC Convention (RARCOA, 2/1972), lot 871; Kingswood Coin Auctions (2/1997), lot 119; Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 9/2017), lot 3971, realized $120,000; U.S. Coins Signature (Heritage, 9/2020), lot 3730, realized $93,000.
10. XF45. A.L. Schuyler Collection (Ben Green, 3/1906), lot 443; John H. Clapp; Clapp Estate (1942); Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr.; Eliasberg Estate (Bowers and Ruddy, 10/1982), lot 388; Auction '88 (David Akers, 7/1988), lot 905; October Sale, Part II (Stack's,10/1989), lot 1484.

Other Appearances
A. Emery, Taylor & Loomis Collection (Woodward, 3/1880), lot 1013. Mistakenly attributed to Byron Reed (see comments under number 3 above).
B. Col. Flanagan Collection (Stack's, 3/1944), lot 1105. The same plate was used for the description in the J.F. Bell sale, so this may be an earlier appearance of the coin in number 8 above. However, many firms, including Stack's, used stock photos in the 1940s, and a matching plate in several catalogs is no guarantee that the same coin was offered.
C. Adolphe Menjou Sale (Numismatic Gallery, 6/1950), lot 1473. Plated in the Menjou catalog, but no pedigree has been established. Possibly the same as number 7 above.
D. A specimen reported stolen from Waldo Newcomer in the November 1913 edition of The Numismatist. The description does not specify if the coin was a Small Date or a Large Date.
E. An example advertised by Charles H. Fisher in the May 1934 issue of The Numismatist, possibly offered in the 1934 ANA Auction.
F. Texas Sale (Hollinbeck Coin Company, 12/1951), lot 1829. Possibly a reappearance of the coin in B above.
G. A coin reported stolen from the Willis H. duPont Collection in the January 1968 issue of The Numismatist (possibly the same as number 5 above).
From The Penny Arcade Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 519945, Base PCGS# 8151, Greysheet# 351795)

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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