1799 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. BB-158, B-16. Rarity-2. Struck 5% Off Center. AU-58 (PCGS). CAC. CMQ.Offered is one of the most significant Draped Bust dollars of any date or die pairing that we have ever had the privilege of bringing to auction. A major mint error from the earliest years of U.S. coinage, this coin holds tremendous appeal for early dollar enthusiasts as well as advanced error collectors. The impression is neatly off center to 9 oclock, the left obverse border flush with the outermost points of stars 1 to 7, the left reverse border engaging the tops of the letters ITED in UNITED and the tip of the eagles right wing. There is no border denticulation from 7:30 clockwise to 11:30 on both sides, the denticulation along the right borders correspondingly broad and deep. All design elements are present on the planchet, and they offer a crispness of detail seldom seen in silver dollars of this type. Lustrous, frosty and lightly toned in iridescent champagne-pink and pale silver-gray, the surfaces are so carefully preserved that the coin was surely set aside at the time of striking, its unusual appearance certainly recognized, if perhaps not understood. BB Die State II-III, intermediate die state, both sides with bold clash marks, but the obverse not yet displaying any cracks.<p>Bowers-Borckardt 158 is one of the more readily obtainable die varieties of the 1799 silver dollar issue, making it a popular type candidate at all levels of preservation. A number of Mint State examples are known (the 2013 edition of Q. David Bowers early dollar encyclopedia lists nine coins in grades from MS-60 to MS-64+), but as with all early dollar die pairings the 1799 BB-158 is clearly very rare at that level. The present Choice AU example is nearly as rare as the Mint State pieces, and even rarer when its status as a major Mint error is considered.PCGS# 40050. NGC ID: 24X7.From the Olds Collection. Earlier ex Hesselgesser Collection.
