LOT #1032 |
Current Bid: $4,700
1805 $5 BD-5, R.7, MS62 NGC....
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Description
1805 BD-5 Half Eagle, MS62
Tied for the Finest Known
1805 $5 BD-5, R.7, MS62 NGC. HBJ-232. Light diagonal
adjustment marks are noted at the central reverse with faint
hairlines and scattered marks evident on the fully lustrous
straw-gold surfaces of this delightful Mint State half eagle.Variety Equivalents: Adams-5, Breen 1-A, Miller-68, Bass-3094.
Obverse Die: This is the only use of the obverse die.
Reverse Die: The reverse die was used for four of the five 1805 die pairs, BD-2, BD-3, BD-4, and BD-5, remaining in use for 1806 BD-1.
Bass-Dannreuther Die State b/e: Peripheral obverse die cracks connect all stars on the left with 18 of the date and the tops of LIBE. The tops of TY are connected to stars 9 through 12 on the right. The reverse has prominent clash marks and a rim break connecting several dentils over the final S and right of that letter.
NGC Census Data (10/25): For all 1805 varieties, NGC has examined 40 pieces graded MS62, one certified as MS62+, and 41 finer submissions.
Significant Examples: This example is tied with the Bass Core Collection coin for the finest known. More than 350 auction listings of 1805 half eagles were examined, and just three distinct examples of the 1805 BD-5 half eagle were located.
Breen (1966): Walter Breen described five different reverse dies and wrote that the reverses are very difficult to tell apart. Today we know that just two reverse dies are known, and they are easy to tell apart. He continued to mention that he has "a description of a later state of this die" but then describes die cracks that are found on BD-4.
Bass-Dannreuther (2006): "The Mint used dies in such a haphazard fashion that unless specific die states are found, we can merely guess at the emission order. Most of the 1806 coins that employ this reverse (BD-1) were certainly struck after the 1805 varieties with the same reverse, as most of the 1806 coins have seven dentils covered by the rim break. However, the 1806 BD-1 coins that do not have any trace of the rim break were struck before those that do, despite being dated 1805."
Heritage Commentary: Identifying the 1805 BD-5 half eagle variety is a simple matter of noting the position of the lower left star nearly touching the hair curl. The other four varieties have that star distant from the hair curl. A detailed examination of all early gold coins offered in a century or more of auction events may yield additional examples of BD-5, and of other rare varieties throughout the three denominations.
Doug Winter Commentary: This variety has remained a solid R-7 and I'm sort of surprised as I would have expected a few to have been cherry-picked over the years. If you own an 1805 half eagle and you are reading these comments might I suggest seeing if you have an unattributed BD-5?
Provenance: Gilhousen Collection (Superior, 2/1973), lot 340; Stack's (3/2004), lot 776; Heritage Internet (11/2004), lot 24032; Heritage Internet (12/2004), lot 23463; Goldberg Auctions (9/2006), lot 1920. Possibly Ex: Gilhousen Collection (Superior, 2/1973).
From The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles.
Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 45619, Base PCGS# 8088, Greysheet# 198212)
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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Auction Info
2026 January 8 US Coins Signature Auction - FUN Special Sessions: Ellsworth & Jacobson #1389 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
January
8th
Thursday
3:50 pm CT
Auction Dates
January
8th
Thursday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
2 Days
7h 12m 27s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 14
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Page Views: 259
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This lot is in: 1 -
Signature® Floor Session - Platinum Session - The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 1001-1068) - 4:00 PM Central Time, Thursday, January 8, 2026 (5:00 PM Eastern Time).
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
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Additional Location Info:
Orange County Convention Center
North/South Building
9400 Universal Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32819
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