1801 $10 BD-2, R.2, MS64 NGC. CAC....

Description

1801 Capped Bust Right Eagle, MS64
Exceptional Early Type Coin, BD-2

1801 $10 BD-2, R.2, MS64 NGC. CAC. Bass-Dannreuther Die State a/a. The 1801 Capped Bust Right eagle claims a substantial mintage of 44,344 pieces, besting the next highest total reported for the design (1799 at 37,449 examples) by a wide margin. Clearly, the Mint was getting better at producing coinage dies that would last for many thousands (or even tens of thousands, in some cases) of impressions. The Mint nonetheless would press any serviceable coinage die into use, regardless of date, design type, or die cracks, if the need arose and the dies were still usable. Thus it is that, despite the recorded mintage of only 5,999 eagles in 1800, it is likely that some of the eagles produced in 1801 bore that date, and certainly conceivable that some were dated 1799, as well.

Only two die pairings are known for the 1801 eagles, BD-1 and BD-2. The BD-1 obverse shows a different star style from the BD-2, and stars 8 and 13 are distant from the cap and bust, respectively. The stars on the BD-2 are thinner with longer spines, and stars 8 and 13 touch, or nearly so, the cap and bust. The BD-2, the present variety, is far more available than the R.5 BD-1; John Dannreuther estimates that 30,000 to 40,000 of the total mintage was of this variety, with 600 to 800 surviving today.

The surfaces on the present near-Gem are bright yellow-gold accented with tinges of olive. The strike is full throughout both sides, with semiprooflike reflectivity apparent in the fields. There are no planchet adjustment marks, and the only mentionable contact is a single scrape through UNI. This is a remarkably nice candidate for a type set, a coin that will not come cheap but is relatively more affordable than most of its early 19th century fellows. Census: 23 in 64, 2 finer. CAC: 8 in 64, 0 finer (6/19).
Ex: FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2012), lot 4968, realized $106,375.
From The Joan Zieg Steinbrenner Collection.

Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 45734, Base PCGS# 8564, Greysheet# 198085)

Metal: 91.67% Gold, 8.33% Copper
Weight: 17.50 grams
AGW: 0.57oz
Mintage: 44,344

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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