1834 $5 With Motto, Plain 4, BD-3, High R.7, MS64 NGC....

Description

1834 Capped Head Left Five Dollar, MS64
BD-3, Plain 4 Variant
The Finest of Three Known

1834 $5 With Motto, Plain 4, BD-3, High R.7, MS64 NGC. HBJ-267. Ex: Caleb Louis Collection. The surfaces are bright with confirmed reflectivity on each side, created by die striations. The strike details are strong but not completely brought up over the design high points. Numerous small field marks are scattered over both sides, none worthy of individual mention. An important opportunity for the specialist to acquire this exceedingly rare type in high grade.
Variety Equivalents: Adams unlisted, Breen I-2, Miller-170, Bass-3167.
Obverse Die: This Plain 4 obverse die is found on 1834 BD-1 and BD-3.
Reverse Die: The reverse die was used for 1834 BD-2 and 1834 BD-3.
Bass-Dannreuther Die State b/c: The obverse is cracked from the bust tip to star 1. The reverse is cracked from the arrow points below ICA to 5D.
NGC Census Data (10/25): 1834 Plain 4 half eagles include one that NGC grades MS64 and one other piece graded MS65. They have also examples two unattributed examples graded MS64.
Significant Examples: This example is the finest of three known examples recorded in our roster below.
Breen (1966): Breen's two types of 1834 half eagles were the Capped Bust, With Motto coins that he called Type I and the Classic Head labeled Type II. Regarding this variety, Breen observed: "Clapp knew of it only from H.P. Smith 226. This may be a reappearance of Parmelee 1030, which is described as having a cracked die. (The crack does not show on the plate, and is probably very faint.) Probably R-8."
Bass-Dannreuther (2006): "The confusion about the varieties of this year is well documented, but the author believes that the four varieties that Bass owned are all the combinations that exist for the year. However, the next variety (BD-4) was unknown for many years, so if another combination appears, it would not be a shocking development."
Heritage Commentary: Researchers face several challenges when creating a census or roster for any rare coin, such as the 1834 BD-3 half eagles. Plate matching past auction appearances is one such challenge. High resolution images exist for recent auction appearances but that is not the case for older printed images. Attempting to match images from catalogs in the 1980s or earlier is often impossible. Another challenge is the older use of "stock photos" that may not be the actual item that was sold. That is especially true for catalogs printed in the middle 20th century. Numismatic Gallery and B. Max Mehl, among other firms, often used stock photos. Many rare coins that would normally be photographed today were not shown in older catalogs, especially during World War II when printed material faced government restrictions.
Provenance: Recorded below.

Roster of Known 1834 BD-3 Half Eagles
1. MS64 NGC. Pre-Long Beach Auction (Goldbergs, 9/2008), lot 1258 (misattributed as BD-1); The Caleb Louis Collection of U.S. Gold Type/ANA Signature (Heritage, 8/2010), lot 3495. The present specimen.
2. AU58 NGC. Gilbert Steinberg Collection (Superior, 9/1996), lot 2265; Central States Signature (Heritage, 4/2017), lot 4264; Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 6/2020), lot 3204. Offered in the previous lot.
3. AU53 PCGS. Jonathan Rosen Collection (Stack's, 9/1968), lot 340; Harry W. Bass, Jr. Core Collection/Central States Signature (Heritage, 5/2023), lot 4567.
From The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection of Early Half Eagles.

Coin Index Numbers: (Variety PCGS# 519957, Base PCGS# 8160, Greysheet# 198944)

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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