1799 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-10, Taraszka-22. Rarity-3. Large Obverse Stars. AU-58+ (PCGS). CAC. CMQ.Beautifully toned surfaces exhibit vivid reddish-rose overtones that are boldest around the peripheries. Deep orange-gold color is noted for both sides, as are ample remnants of softly frosted luster. Wispy handling marks are commensurate with the assigned grade. A tiny planchet void in the reverse field at the left edge of the shield is the most useful identifying feature. Most design elements are boldly to sharply defined, the strike nicely centered on both sides with the borders fully and uniformly denticulated. A few isolated features are softly struck, however, including stars 3, 12 and 13 on the obverse, the bottom of Libertys bust, stars 3 and 4 and the adjacent clouds on the reverse, and the eagles wing tips. BD Die State a/a. This is the earlier of only two confirmed die states of this variety. The obverse is perfect, as inherited from the 1799 BD-9 pairing, with no clashing, lapping or cracks. The reverse is also perfect with no clashing, lapping or cracks.<p>The conventionally accepted mintage has been 37,449 coins for the 1799 Capped Bust Right eagle issue, based on Walter Breens assumption that all of the coins delivered between May 14, 1799, and September 4, 1800, were from 1799-dated dies. After careful study, John W. Dannreuther provides a revised range of 31,750 to 46,250 pieces produced, the lower estimate allowing for the possibility that some 1797 BD-3 and/or BD-4 coins were included in Breens 37,499-piece mintage, and the upper estimate allowing for the possibility that some 1799-dated eagles were also included in later deliveries.<p>Along with 1799 BD-7, 1800 BD-1 and 1801 BD-2, 1799 BD-10 is one of the most readily available die marriages in the Capped Bust Right eagle series. This variety shares its obverse die with the 1799 BD-9, the reverse die a replacement for that of the previous variety which failed early in the BD-9 press run. Given that several hundred coins are extant, 12,500 to 17,500 coins are believed to have been struck from the 1799 BD-10 marriage, indicating that both the obverse and reverse dies were quite well made by the standards of the early eagle series. Further evidence for the durability of these particular dies comes from the fact that neither of the two die states known for this variety display evidence of extensive cracks or other significant damage.<p>A popular early eagle for gold type set purposes, BD-10 is also significant as the only realistically obtainable die marriage of the 1799 Large Obverse Stars <em>Guide Book</em> variety (the other, BD-9, is a significant rarity). This vividly toned Choice AU would make a lovely addition to another advanced gold cabinet.PCGS# 45723. BASE PCGS# 8562. NGC ID: 2625.From the Chicago Collection. Earlier ex our (Stacks) sale of the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, March 1995, lot 558; Anthony J. Taraszka; our sale of the Anthony J. Taraszka Collection, August 2019 ANA Auction, lot 4027; D.L. Hansen Collection. The plate coin for the die variety in the reference <em>United States Ten Dollar Gold Eagles: 1795-1804</em> by Anthony J. Taraszka.
