Lot 2962
1797 $10 Capped Bust. Small eagle. NGC graded MS-63. In NGC holder 1562003-001. Mostly well struck on a remarkably clean planchet and shimmering with luster. Medium golden-yellow with some faint hairlines seen only under magnification. Only 55-65 known in all grades. With the exception of the 1795 9 leaf, this is the rarest small eagle $10.00 and is a candidate for finest known.
The early Small Eagle $10 gold pieces are some of the most prized acquisitions in all of numismatics. The Small Eagle type is narrowly confined to just three dates but within that range are several intriguing die varieties, and there really is only one date that can be considered available, the 1795.
The Small Eagle ten dollar pieces were struck in 1795, 1796, and 1797, but the mintage was probably produced only from September 1795 until June 1797. The 16 stars on the obverse of the 1797 eagle are arranged 12 and four. LIBERTY is positioned from just to the right of the peak of Liberty's cap to adjacent to the bridge of her nose. The mintage was 3,615, making this date the scarcest of the three Small Eagle years. A single die variety has the obverse with a fine a die break crossing from the rim through the final 7 in the date and upwards into the bust on all known examples. Another die break extends into the field from the rim below the last star on the right.
The present example boasts beautiful rich luster whose vibrancy is barely diminished by the faint hairlines already noted. Beautiful and rare. Pop 1, none finer at NGC (PCGS # 8555) .
Estimated Value $300,000-UP.
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