1796 Draped Bust Half Dollar. Small Eagle. O-101, T-1. Rarity-5-. 15 Stars. AU-58 (PCGS). Amato-113. A noteworthy survivor of this famous Small Eagle half dollar type. Deep slate-gray surfaces with lilac and rose undertones. Nicely struck for the design type with just a touch of weakness at Libertys highest curls; on the reverse the eagles eye, nostril, and tongue are all visible, as is much of the breast plumage. Soft underlying luster adds to the overall appeal. We note some old, minor obverse marks over and before Libertys forehead and a tiny dig on the same side near star 2, these features serving as useful identifiers. The reverse is of excellent quality overall, with low magnification revealing some faint planchet adjustment marks (as made) relegated mainly to the cloud below the eagle.<p>The half dollars that the United States Mint delivered in 1797 differed from those of 1794 and 1795. In late 1796 Mint personnel adopted Robert Scots Draped Bust, Small Eagle design that had already been featured on 1795-dated silver dollars for use on the half dollar. The delivery of 1797 amounted to just 3,918 pieces, 1,934 or so examples having been struck from one of two 1796-dated obverse dies. Surprisingly for a denomination that otherwise proved extremely popular with contemporary bullion depositors, no more half dollars were ordered until 1801, at which time the Heraldic Eagle variant of the Draped Bust type became current. The Draped Bust, Small Eagle half dollar, therefore, became an instant numismatic rarity - a two-year type with a combined mintage of just 3,918 pieces. Survivors of both dates are scarce to rare in all grades, and they never fail to cause a stir among advanced collectors when they appear at auction. PCGS# 6057. NGC ID: 24E9. From our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Douglas L. Noblet Collection, January 1999, lot 4; Heritages sale of the Richard Genaitis Collection, August 2001 Atlanta Signature Sale, lot 6090; Superiors Pre-Long Beach Elite Coin Auction of February 2006, lot 680; our (Stacks) Amherst & Waccabuc Collections sale, November 2007, lot 2009; Heritages CSNS Signature Auction of April 2008, lot 2306; Heritages Baltimore ANA Signature Auction of July-August 2008, lot 1667; Heritages Long Beach Signature Auction of September 2008, lot 2018; our (Stacks) Americana Sale of January 2009, lot 8345; our (Stacks) Eliasberg & Krause Collections sale, March 2010, lot 1009; our Chicago ANA Auction of August 2011, lot 7338.
