1818 $5 I Over 0, BD-3, R.5, MS64+ PCGS. CAC....

Description

1818 BD-3 Half Eagle, MS64+
Popular I Over 0 Guide Book Variety
Scarce in All Grades, Only Two Coins Finer

1818 $5 I Over 0, BD-3, R.5, MS64+ PCGS. CAC. Ex: Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. Bass-Dannreuther Die State a/a. Three die varieties exist for the 1818 half eagle, which claims a reported mintage of 48,588 coins for the year. One variety (BD-2) features the letters in STATES OF evenly spaced, almost appearing as a single word (STATESOF). Another (BD-3) shows recutting on the D in the denomination. Finally, the last variety (BD-1) is simply identified by process of elimination; it does not have either of those two distinguishing characteristics.

BD-3 is the scarcest of the three varieties. According to John Dannreuther, only 35 to 45 pieces exist. PCGS estimates just 25 to 35 coins. The so-called 5D Over 50 variety was first mentioned in print in New York Coin and Stamp's June 1890 sale of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, cataloged by Harlan P. Smith and David Proskey. For a century it continued to be described as such. However, in 2017 Heritage's own John Sculley noticed something while examining the Hutchinson Collection coin in MS63. Rather than a D being cut over an 0 as was long though to be the case, he recognized that the die sinker had actually punched an I over the initial 0. Writing about the discovery for a February 2017 Coin World article, Sculley explains:

"It is now certain that the 5 was never repunched, nor was a D ever cut over the 0. Rather, the incorrect 0 was modified with an overpunched 'I' to create the illusion of a 'D' - a bit of diesinking sleight-of-hand that has hoodwinked all who have studied the variety for decades."

The Harry Bass Core Collection coin in MS64+ is surpassed at PCGS by just two coins: an MS65 and an MS66+ (8/22). It is the second finest with a CAC approval sticker behind the Plus-graded Premium Gem. A strong strike and vibrant mint frost are hallmarks of this Choice Uncirculated half eagle. Orange-gold surfaces showcase splashes of coppery color that further enhance the already-excellent eye appeal. Light chatter is minimal for the grade, and the coin is clearly one of the finest extant for this popular Guide Book variety, if not for the entire issue.
Ex: New Netherlands (12/15/1936); Norweb Collection, Part I (Bowers and Merena, 10/1987), lot 769.
From The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection, Part I.

Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 519916, Base PCGS# 8120, GSID# 351784)

Metal: 91.67% Gold, 8.33% Copper
Weight: 8.75 grams
AGW: 0.25789oz

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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