1826 $5 BD-2, R.8 -- Plugged -- PCGS Genuine. AU Details....

Description

1826 Half Eagle, AU Details
The R.8 BD-2 Variety
Only Three Pieces Known

1826 $5 BD-2, R.8 -- Plugged -- PCGS Genuine. AU Details. HBJ-261. Ex: Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. This piece is well documented for its plugged hole, visible at 12 o'clock on the obverse. The reverse denomination is rebuilt around the repair, and each side shows satiny, hairlined surfaces from the smoothing performed as part of the hole repair. Nonetheless, the devices are well detailed and actual wear is light. To the unaided eye, there are no obvious abrasions.
Variety Equivalents: Adams-2, Breen Unlisted (2-B), Miller-151, Bass-3149.
Obverse Die: This is the only use of the obverse die.
Reverse Die: The reverse die is common to 1826 BD-2, 1827 BD-1, and 1828 BD-1.
Bass-Dannreuther Die State a/a: Struck from perfect dies as always for the three known examples.
Significant Examples: Just three examples of this rarity are known.

1. MS66 PCGS. John Story Jenks Collection (Henry Chapman, 12/1921), lot 5769; Edgar Adams (possibly acting for William H. Woodin); Waldo Newcomer; Colonel E.H.R. Green; Green estate; unknown intermediaries; David and Sharron Akers; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2014), lot 5432; FUN Signature (Heritage, 1/2015), lot 4292.
2. AU Cleaned, per Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth. "Colonel" E.H.R. Green; Green estate; Clifford T. Weihman, via Stack's; Josiah K. Lilly, via Stack's again; Lilly estate; National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institution.
3. AU Details -- Plugged -- PCGS. S.S. Forrest, Jr. Collection (Stack's, 9/1972), lot 212; Harry W. Bass, Jr.; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Research Foundation; Central States Signature (Heritage, 5/2023), lot 4560. The present coin.

Breen (1966): Breen wrote of a major mystery: "A unique variety appeared in the Jenks sale of 1921 and has never been seen since; as the Jenks plate illustrated the obverse, to the present day I have not been able to ascertain whether the reverse is the same as that on the other 1826's, or as on the 1825's, or as in 1827. All of these alternatives are possible."
Bass-Dannreuther (2006): "This variety was described by Walter Breen from the plate of the John Story Jenks sale, Lot 5769. The Bass example [offered here] is not the Jenks coin. A second example of this prohibitively rare variety is found in the Smithsonian Institution. David Akers and the author plate-matched his superb Uncirculated example to the Newcomer coin. Akers's coin has been off the market for some time, so where it resided after the Newcomer collection was dispersed is unknown."
Heritage Commentary: The collector who seeks both varieties of 1826 half eagles is limited to this example or the Jenks-Green-Akers MS66 example. The third known piece in the Smithsonian Institution will never be available. While the discovery of an additional example of BD-2 in the future is not out of the question, such a discovery is highly unlikely.
Doug Winter Commentary: I giggled when I looked at the CC for this variety. At the top of the list is a gorgeous PCGS MS66 that belonged to Dave Akers and it sold for a record-smashing $763,750 back in the 2014 FUN auction. Next is a cleaned AU which is off the market forever as part of the National Numismatic Collection. And then there is this coin which I would charitably describe as 'abused.' But if it was good enough for the die variety collections formed by Harry Bass and Harvey Jacobsen, its good enough for you...
Provenance: Recorded above.
From The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles.

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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