Lot 976
1799. B-11, BB-161, Rarity 3. NGC graded MS-63. Nice shades of gold and blue toning. The powerfully struck, lustrous surfaces are readily appreciable at all angles. This is an important issue among choice quality Bust Coin type collectors. No one can honestly deny the vibrancy of the surfaces. This, too, shows in the fully struck devices exhibiting fine detail to all the high points. A very impressive 1799 Draped Bust Silver Dollar, to say the least, and worth bidding on.
First used on the Quarter Eagle in 1796, Robert Scot's rendition of the Great Seal of the United States took its place on the Silver Dollar beginning in 1798. This Large Eagle reverse, as it has since become known (also called Heraldic Eagle), replaced the Small Eagle motif that had originally been mated with the Draped Bust obverse. The new design would remain in use until President Thomas Jefferson suspended Silver Dollar production early in the 19th century.
The Draped Bust, Large Eagle Silver Dollar is one of the classics of U.S. numismatics. Harkening back to the earliest years of our formative nation, these large silver coins are windows into the United States of the founding fathers. The 1798, 1799 and 1800 are the most frequently encountered Draped Bust, Large Eagle Silver Dollars in today's market. The 1801, 1802 and 1803 are scarcer. The 19,570 Silver Dollars delivered in 1804 were struck from 1802 and/or 1803-dated dies.
In addition to type and date collecting, variety specialization is a popular way to pursue the Draped Bust, Large Eagle Silver Dollar series. Since the Mint used multiple individually engraved dies to strike each issue of this type, the astute numismatist can often discern bold naked-eye differences between examples bearing the same date. Many of the die marriages in this series are rare and command significant premiums in the market.
BB-161’s reverse, a sturdy piece of hardened steel, found use in several pairings with other obverse dies. Diagnostics: There are no berries on the branch. U in UNITED defective at upper left part, which is cut off, due to the employment of a defective punch. A point of a star touches the point of the lower part of the eagle's beak; a ray points to the left serif at left side of U in PLURIBUS. The star under cloud 1 is noticeably smaller than any other. A in AMERICA rests on 4th feather. Leaf point is under left side of upright of I. Upper right star has only one point touching cloud 8 (whereas two points of the same star touch the cloud on the reverse of BB-157). Far right edge of A is over junction of clouds 3 and 4. No berries on branch (one tiny remnant of a stem can be seen), as the die was reground earlier (see description under 1799 BB-158). This is the terminal state of this die, after having mated with four obverses including this one. This Reverse was first used to strike 1799 BB-158, during which time it had its first relapping (berries weak), next coining BB-159, then BB-158 again, then, second relapping (removing berries), BB-160 and, finally, BB-161. Pop 2; none finer at NGC for the variety.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 45,000.
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