“The supply of gold and silver bullion still continues to be abundant - the deposits for coinage, at this time in our vaults, amounting to upwards of half a million of dollars.” — Director of the Mint Robert Patterson to President James Madison, January 1, 1813 As the first and most widely seen date of this type, a design that lasted in nearly identical form to this until 1829 and modified form until 1834, the 1813 is the issue of this series most often chosen for inclusion in type collections. While many advanced collections include an example of this date, very few cabinets have ever hosted a specimen that could rival this one. The surfaces are lovely deep yellow gold, a bit richer at the rims and hiding some lighter toning around several stars. The high relief bust of Liberty by John Reich is well realized and shows a wealth of fine detail. The central strike was firm enough to give the eagle a lively and fully-feathered appearance, and nearly firm enough to obliterate all evidence of the adjustment marks at the central obverse, some light vestiges of which remain on Liberty’s cheek and the curls under B of LIBERTY. Other adjustment marks are confined to the raised rims around the obverse, entering the field in only a small region at the right of the date. The fields are frosty and free of substantial defects, hiding just a short scratch between stars 6 and 7, a short hairline under the right side of M in AMERICA and a shallow abrasion under the denomination. A low spot at the second shield paleway from left is a small area of striking weakness. The dies are fresh, in their earliest die state, free of cracks and clash marks. Combat in the War of 1812 had not yet visited the mainland when Mint Director Robert Patterson sent his annual report to President James Madison. Fort Detroit had fallen months earlier, but the conflict had yet to encroach upon Washington, DC, Ohio, or upstate New York. United States gold coins represented a secure and recognizable form of bullion, and plenty of deposits streamed into the Mint throughout 1812. The mintage of half eagles in 1813, not quite twice what it was in 1812, approached 100,000 coins, all struck with a new design with a more truncated bust of Liberty. The reverse design was also modified by Reich, showing an eagle whose stance was more open, with olive leaves and arrows that were likewise more spread out. While Breen suggests that most half eagles struck in 1813 bore the date 1812, the Bass-Dannreuther reference concludes that most or all struck in 1813 were actually dated 1813, a decision supported by the number of half eagles of this date that survive today. Rich with originality, boldly toned and heroically preserved, this ranks as one of the very finest survivors of this issue. More 1813 half eagles have been certified by PCGS over the full continuum of grades than any other date of half eagle from 1807 to 1834, but grades in the low Mint State range predominate. Gems are extremely rare. PCGS has certified only three 1813 half eagles in grades of MS-65 or finer. Just two have been assigned grades of MS-66 or better. They are offered in this lot and the lot that follows. Aside from these two coins, no 1813 half eagle graded MS-65 or finer by PCGS has ever sold at public auction. PCGS# 519907. NGC ID: 25PM.
