LOT #3213 |
Current Bid: $2,100
1795 $5 Small Eagle, BD-2, R.6. MS62 NGC....
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Description
1795 BD-2 Small Eagle Five Dollar, MS62
Likely Tied for Second Finest of Variety
1795 $5 Small Eagle, BD-2, R.6. MS62 NGC. Bass-Dannreuther
Die State a/c. Green-gold fields and white-gold devices are
complemented by slight rust-gold highlights around the peripheral
devices and slight mirroring from newly-polished dies. Light
abrasions are present, but none are individually distracting.
Obverse strike is razor sharp, with each strand of hair fully
visible, although on the reverse, the eagle's neck is flat and the
breast feathers are slightly indistinct.The BD-2 is one of the rarest of the 12 die marriages of 1795 Small Eagle half eagles. Above this die marriage, there is one High R.7 die marriage (BD-11), two R.7s (BD-5 and BD-7), and one High R.6 (BD-12). Six of the other varieties fall in the R.5 range, with the BD-3 by far the most common die marriage of the year at High R.3. The reverse die was previously used for BD-1, and the obverse went on to strike BD-3 and BD-4. Interestingly, there is only one die state known of this die marriage, and the reverse deterioration matches the latest state of BD-1, so the fate of this die marriage remains unknown. Bass-Dannreuther suggest that the reverse die failed catastrophically soon after production began, but an example of a potential terminal die state has yet to be found. That reference attributes Warrant #26's 520 examples, delivered on August 11, 1795, as the sole warrant for this die marriage, which corresponds with the estimated surviving population of 20 to 25 examples.
This is one of the finest known examples of this rare die marriage. A look through our archives reveals just two other Mint State examples out of a total of eight examples - an MS64 NGC from the Warshaw Family Collection and an MS62 PCGS from the Bass Core Collection. Stack's Bowers lists a single MS61 NGC for Mint State examples of this die marriage in their archives. The present offering, tied for the second finest known, previously appeared in our August 2006 offering of the Antigo Collection.
Ex: Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 5/2003), lot 6576, $40,250; Antigo Collection (Heritage, 8/2006), lot 5472, $86,250.
From The Costa Family Collection, Part II.
Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 519851, Base PCGS# 8066, Greysheet# 198164)
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.
View all of [The Costa Family Collection, Part II ]
Auction Info
2026 January 14 - 17 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction #1390 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
January
14th
Wednesday
5:50 pm CT
Auction Dates
January
14th-17th
Wednesday-Saturday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
10 Days
20h 30m 39s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 3
Lot Tracking Activity: 28
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Buyer's Premium per Lot:
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This lot is in: 2 -
Signature® Floor Session - Platinum Session - II (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 3177-3389) - 6:00 PM Central Time, Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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