1797 $10 Large Eagle Fine 15 PCGS....

Description

Popular 1797 Large Eagle Ten Dollar
BD-2, Fine 15

1797 $10 Large Eagle Fine 15 PCGS. Breen-6834, Taraszka-8, BD-2, High R.4. Obverse State b, Reverse State b, with crumbling at the die crack below the 7 in the date. The BD-2, with its reverse die used in just this one die pair, marks a transition for the early eagle series; as Bass and Dannreuther note in their entry for the die pair in Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties, "This [BD-2] reverse likely is the first one made and it is [italics theirs] the first one used for the Large Eagle type dated 1797, as proven by Bass die data."
Bass and Dannreuther offer a more expansive take on the changeover and its aftereffects in their overview of the early years of the eagle denomination. One paragraph reads in part:

"The replacement in mid-1797 of the Small Eagle type with the Large Eagle type (based on the Great Seal of the United States) created three distinct reverse varieties in the first year! All three Large Eagle reverse dies used in 1797 are paired with the same obverse die ... creating the three major varieties for 1797 Large Eagle coins. The first reverse is attributed to John Smith Gardner ... as it is a duplicate of the one attributed to him for the half eagles. This 1797 variety (BD-2, the first Large Eagle one) uses the Reverse of 1797A, which has a long, thin neck."

This Fine 15 example from that important transitional die pair offers strong detail for the grade. Honey-tinged lemon-gold surfaces show a scattering of light abrasions, and a few wispy pinscratches appear in the fields, these being consistent with the moderate level of circulation this piece experienced. Each side offers faint but readily discernible radiance. Intriguing and desirable, a coin that encourages a second look.(Registry values: P3)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25ZY, PCGS# 8559, GSID# 9344)

Metal: 91.67% Gold, 8.33% Copper
Weight: 17.50 grams
AGW: 0.51577oz
Mintage: 10,940

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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