Lot 1742
A true gem 1812 Half Eagle. NGC graded MS-65. Here is a premier rarity in high grade. While many coins of this date exist in lower circulated grades, only a handful remain in choice or gem condition. This piece is one of the very few gems; in point of fact, NGC has only graded 4 this high, with none graded higher. PCGS has only graded a single coin in MS-65, with a single coin graded higher. Therefore, this is one of the very finest in existence of the date. Boldly struck and without a flaw on the obverse. Similar on the reverse: the only complaint is minor mint-caused adjustment marks along the left rim and a few on the surrounding letters. These do not affect the value, but do distract the eye a bit.
Numismatists who've spent years searching for a truegem will instantly appreciate this piece. Its fields, devices and rims are pristine in their preservation. Color, too, is outstanding: the familiar yellow gold of the early alloys blazes forth from untoned surfaces. If you have been frustrated in your search for a truly splendid gem coin of this era, then here is the coin for you.
Historical remembrance: In 1812, the second year of King George III's "insanity" (he in fact suffered from an inherited condition called porphyria, which turned his urine purple and his mood black), England came under the Regency rule of bonny George IV and America came under cannonfire from British warships and Redcoat troops. The White House (unprotected on its grassy knoll in the still-rural capital) was nearly burned to cinders as the Brits chased everybody out of town, seeking to end the new Republic almost before it got established. Congress issued the first-ever U.S. bonds to pay for the defense. Meantime out in the far western part of the original 13 united states, Chief Tecumseh and his braves renewed attacks on American settlements. So, the new nation was under siege everywhere, it must have seemed, and fright pervaded the entire land. How did anyone maintain the presence of mind to produce and save such a wonderful memento of the times as this magnificent coin?
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