Lot 1255
1795 $5 Capped Bust. Small eagle. . BD-3, Breen-6412. Lightly toned with a nice look. Probably cleaned years ago. Our grade is sharpness of MS-60+ with altered surfaces. If one were to give this a human face, we'd say it has a most placid disposition, since marks are few, details aplenty. The slight lack of original surfaces gets overlooked by the strike: this piece has all but needle-sharp devices, with gorgeous detail seen in Liberty's hair and cap, along with the stars and drapery folds; the eagle for its part exhibits nicely detailed breast, full, sharp, lustrous wing feathers, and a full wreath in its mouth. Letters in the legend are large and clear, with the final S in STATES slightly lower than the other letters (a distinguishing feature of this reverse) (PCGS # 8066) .
According to Dannreuther, this is the most plentiful of the 1795 varieties (of which there are currently 12 barring discovery of new ones). Possibly more than 200 examples extant. Although this is a common variety of 1795 Small Eagle coinage, one must realize "common" is a relative term. Even if there are 200 known for this pairing, it is still a rare coin. There are several tens of thousands 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln cents in existence and many numismatists call that coin rare.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 25,000.
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| Realized $21,850 |
