1797 $10 Large Eagle, BD-3, R.5, MS63 NGC....

Description

1797 BD-3 Eagle, MS63
Lustrous Green-Gold Surfaces
One of the Finest of the Variety and Type

1797 $10 Large Eagle, BD-3, R.5, MS63 NGC. Bass-Dannreuther Die State d/c. Generous cartwheel luster gleams and glistens across green-gold surfaces. Minor abrasions are present in front of the chin and left of the cap, where the reverse is largely abrasion-free. Slight adjustment marks are present on the upper reverse dentils. Weakness is present in the center of both sides, but the area of its impact is small.

The Large Eagle reverse made its debut on the eagle denomination in 1797. It was preceded by the quarter eagle in 1796 and equaled by the half eagle in 1797, with silver denominations having to wait until at least 1798 for the changeover. This change neatly splits up 1797 eagles into two design types. There is one Small Eagle die marriage, which is easily recognizable by its lopsided 12x4 star layout, with star 1 joined to the 1 in the date. The three large eagle die marriages share an obverse with the more visually balanced 10x6 star layout, further emphasizing the clean break between the two design types. By the time the present example of BD-3 was minted, the die had formed a break between the two cracks that extend from the bottom of the 7. However, the Mint evidently did not think that this represented significant enough deterioration to retire the die, as it went on to produce BD-4, which just edges out the BD-2 as the most common of the three Large Eagle die marriages, according to Bass-Dannreuther's rarity ratings.

Eagles of this design type become very rare in Select Mint State. PCGS and NGC have awarded this grade only six and three times respectively, with a sole MS63+ PCGS and MS64 NGC representing the only finer certifications. This places the current offering in the upper echelon of surviving examples of this type, and certainly in the condition census for the variety, a position that is strengthened by the inherent attractiveness of this piece.
From The Costa Family Collection, Part II.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25ZY, Variety PCGS# 45718, Base PCGS# 8559, Greysheet# 198072)

Weight: 17.50 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 ]

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