1799 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. BB-153, B-4. Rarity-4. Irregular Date, 15-Star Reverse. AU-58 (NGC).；Here is a special coin with an incredible pedigree. The obverse and reverse are generally light silver with tawny-gold accenting the devices. The fields are somewhat reflective when examined under a light. Extensive die cracks are seen on this later die state, one through the date, another crossing through Libertys bust and up to the right stars, another from the tip of her nose up the right, a fourth crosses the upper portion through LIBERTY. The reverse die is not cracked. Considering all these obverse cracks it is to be expected that there are minor areas of softness in the strike, and these are localized on Libertys upper curls and at the opposite location on the reverse in the shield lines. There are no troublesome handling marks or adjustments seen, and the rim denticles are narrow on the obverse and broad on the reverse. This is a major type issue and the only dies that combined to create the Irregular Date, 15 Star reverse category. <p>The 15 star reverse is one of numismatics great "story coins" and it bears repeating here:<p>The reverse die is a delight to study and captures the hand engraving process and what must have been a "bad day at the office" for this particular die engraver. When engraving the reverse stars over the eagle an extra star was added to the top row, and another to the middle row of stars, and the star field ended up with 15 stars as opposed to the required 13. The coiner would certainly have noticed the blunder. Such a mistake could not be ignored but, with the high cost of die steel and the time already spent on engraving, the die could also not simply have been discarded. Hence the engraver came up with an ingenious solution: why not cover over two of the extra stars by expanding the clouds down over them? He chose the two end clouds which were extended along the edge of the eagles wings and covered over all but a few points of the extra stars. In so doing he created one of the more easily recognized varieties in the early dollar series, one that has long been popular with specialists.<p>This specimen is the only example of the variety certified at the AU-58 grade level by either PCGS or NGC.；Ex K.P. Austin; Jacque and Alfred Ostheimer Collection; Lester Merkins sale of September 1968, lot 275; Superiors sale of the Gilhousen Collection, Part III, October 1973, lot 1249; Superiors ANA Sale of August 1975, lot 914; Superiors Davenport Collection sale, February 1977, lot 477; Heritages sale of the Jules Reiver Collection, January 2006, lot 23559.
