1795 $5 Small Eagle, BD-3, High R.3, AU58★ NGC....

Description

1795 BD-3 Half Eagle, AU58★
Small Eagle Reverse

1795 $5 Small Eagle, BD-3, High R.3, AU58★ NGC. Bass-Dannreuther Die State c/b. The Y in LIBERTY and star 13 touch star 12 on this obverse that was used for BD-2, BD-3, and BD-4. A leaf joins the final S in STATES on this variety, confirming the BD-3 attribution. The obverse has a short die line from the border to star 12. That feature is sometimes described as an engraver's mark and other times described as a die crack. Similarly, the reverse has a die line from the border to the top of the E in UNITED that may be an engraving slip or a die crack.

Since the reverse is not used in any other combination, Dannreuther suggests that a terminal die state should exist. He writes: "Bass had two examples of this variety and knew this obverse was used again, so he anticipated finding a coin with a fatal reverse crack." His reasoning assumes that dies were only retired when severely damaged. While that was often the case with our nation's early coinage, there were exceptions. Perhaps irreparable damage occurred to the die shaft rather than the face of the die. Another scenario might be damage to the die face that was noticed before additional coins were struck. There are many possibilities, although we may never know the exact scenario that occurred in the early days of the first Mint.

Trivial planchet flaws are noted on this well defined green-gold example that hosts wispy hairlines in the fields, with other minor handling marks on each side. While NGC has certified more than 300 1795 Small Eagle half eagles, just six of those, including this AU58 example, have received the important ? designation for exceptional eye appeal.
Ex: Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 5/2008), lot 3171; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2009), lot 4038; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2010), lot 2152.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25ND, Variety PCGS# 519852, Base PCGS# 8066, Greysheet# 198165)

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.

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