1813 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-2. Rarity-4. MS-61 (PCGS). Attractive in all regards, both sides of this half eagle exhibit full frosty luster, vivid and deep olive-orange color, and sharp striking detail in most areas. Only at and around the eagles right leg and talons on the reverse do we note significant weakness, as also seen in the BD plate coin for this die pairing. Advanced gold type collectors and early half eagle enthusiasts are sure to flock to this lovely Mint State example. BD Die State d/b.<p>As a series, the Capped Head Left half eagles struck from 1813 to 1834 are among the most challenging in all of U.S. numismatics. Most examples are from the first year, 1813, having been set aside by the contemporary public due to the novelty of the design. Most other issues and varieties are rare, if not noncollectable, since rising gold prices resulted in the wholesale destruction of pre-1834 U.S. gold coins through the mid 1830s. The present example represents the BD-2 die pairing, the scarcer of the two known for this issue. It is identifiable by the reverse die, since both varieties share the same obverse. For BD-2, the first letter S in STATES is nearly centered over the letter E in the Latin motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. PCGS# 8116. NGC ID: 25PM.
