1798/7 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-1, Taraszka-9. Rarity-4+. Stars 9x4. AU-50 (PCGS).Vivid deep reddish-honey color is seen on both sides of this desirable early eagle. The strike is well centered, generally sharper on the reverse, with light rub most pronounced on the high points of Libertys portrait. Hairlines are noted for both sides, but appreciable mint finish remains, and there are no sizable or otherwise singularly mentionable marks. BD Die State b-c/b, intermediate obverse die state, with only a single prominent crack evident that bisects the letter L in LIBERTY.<p>Although the rarity of this date has been overstated in the past (Breen, for one, estimated that only 31 to 33 1798/7 eagles of both varieties were extant), this issue still ranks as the second scarcest in the early eagle series after the final year 1804 Crosslet 4. BD-1 is the more readily available of the two varieties of this issue. The 1798 as an issue is significant as the first in the early eagle series to feature overdate dies, both obverses having the digit 8 cut over a 7. It is also significant as the first in its series with 13 stars on the obverse, and clearly both obverse dies were prepared after the Mint abandoned the idea of adding a star for each new state that joined the Union. After Tennessees admission brought the requisite number of stars under that plan to 16, overcrowding of the design clearly became a problem, leading to the decision to feature only 13 stars in honor of the original 13 states. Mint employees initially experimented with the arrangement of the 13 stars on the obverse dies of the eagle, with the two 1798/7 varieties displaying different arrangements of 9x4 and 7x6, respectively. In the end, neither of those arrangements were accepted for long term use, as the Mint instead decided on the 8x5 arrangement for all remaining Capped Bust Right eagles beginning with the 1799-dated coins. As such, the 1798/7 BD-1, with its 9x4 star arrangement, is unique in the early eagle series and represents a must-have variety for the serious gold type collector.PCGS# 8560. NGC ID: BFYR.From the Chicago Collection. Earlier ex D.L. Hansen Collection; David Lawrences Internet Auction #1170, May 2021, lot 4119; our sale of the George Schwenk Collection, August 2023 Global Showcase Auction, lot 5147.
