1797 $10 Small Eagle--Improperly Cleaned--NCS. XF Details....

Description

Rare BD-1 1797 Small Eagle Ten, XF Sharpness

1797 $10 Small Eagle--Improperly Cleaned--NCS. XF Details. BD-1, R.5. The only Small Eagle variety for the year, with a curious star pattern of 12 items on the left and only four on the right; star 1 overlaps the first digit of the date. A thin die crack below star 16 is typical for this variety. Without making distinction between various die varieties, Akers commented in the early 1980s that the 1797 was not only the last of the Small Eagle tens, but also " ... decidedly the rarest of the three [years]." He later stated his opinion that the 1797 Small Eagle was "one of the most underrated" issues among the early eagles.
Akers considered the 1797 roughly "twice as rare" as the 1796, and Bass and Dannreuther concur with that assessment. They dissent, however, in declining to describe the 1797 Small Eagle ten as rare in the context of the series, calling it "relatively merely very scarce" instead. That description, however, does not convey that the 1797 Small Eagle ten is rare in an absolute sense, and Bass and Dannreuther themselves give an estimate of 55 to 65 survivors known across all grades.
One of the primary points Akers makes in discussing the issue is how infrequently it crosses the auction block; the Heritage experience bears this out, as this is our first offering of a 1797 Small Eagle ten at auction November 2005. This coin's distinct wear is light and concentrated at the high points of the design, most noticeably on Liberty's shoulder and the eagle's neck and wings. Surfaces range from dusky reddish-gold to lighter yellow, with light hairlines overall suggestive of a past cleaning. Tiny, scattered marks dot the fields. All factors considered, a readily collectible survivor of this important early gold issue.(Registry values: P7)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# BFYN, PCGS# 8555, GSID# 9343)

Metal: 91.67% Gold, 8.33% Copper
Weight: 17.50 grams
AGW: 0.51577oz
Mintage: 3,615

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.