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Sale 78
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Lot 1770
1811. Tall 5 BD-1 Rarity 3+. PCGS graded MS-63. Boldly struck and frosty with natural greenish-golden hues and hints of rose color toning scattered about. Struck on a problem free planchet. The Capped Bust Left Half Eagle debuted in 1807 nearly six months to the day after the Mint hired John Reich as Assistant Engraver. Reich's design, which also made its first appearance on the Half Dollar that year, was innovative for the United States Mint in that it marked the first inclusion of the denomination on the face of silver and gold coins. (Prior to this, half dollars and silver dollars had their indication of value impressed into the edge lettering.) In his 1988 Encyclopedia, Walter Breen opines that only about 1% of the original mintages in the Capped Bust Left Half Eagle series are extant today. He further states that, "Unlike later gold coins, the vast majority of specimens of this design will grade Extremely Fine or About Unc." It is significant, then, that this 1811 example is in a choicer level of Mint condition, MS63 to be precise. And it is even more significant that the surfaces have been preserved carefully enough to have secured this level from one of the primary grading services.
The Philadelphia Mint employed two different die marriages to deliver 99,581 Half Eagles in 1811. The present variety with a Tall 5 in the reverse denomination is a bit rarer than its Small 5 counterpart. Dannreuther suggests there are about 175 to 250 known in all grades (Rarity-3+ by his estimation).
This impressive, yellow-gold example displays even tones on both sides. Satiny mint luster adds its sheen, and some frosty tendencies to the texture. Free of both bothersome striking incompleteness and all but a few wispy grazes, this coin is perhaps the ideal Type buyer’s Capped Bust Left Half Eagle. A worthy offering for the advanced numismatist; a coin that is sure to elicit nods of approval when it appears at auction. Pop 13; 7 finer, 5 in 64, 1 in 65, 1 in 66 (PCGS # 8110) .
Estimated Value $17,000 - 19,000.
The Del Valle Collection.
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| Realized $25,263 |
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