1808 Capped Bust Left Half Eagle. BD-3. Rarity-4. Normal 5D. MS-62 (PCGS).；With a virtually full strike, soft satin luster and handsome medium gold patina, this 1808 half eagle is desirable for Mint State type purposes or inclusion in a specialized collection of early U.S. Mint gold coinage.<p>Four different marriages combining three obverse dies and two reverse dies were employed to coin at least 55,578 half eagles in 1808. Two of these marriages bear overdates and two have normal dates. These are roughly divided evenly in terms of overall market availability, with the edge given to the normal date varieties. The key characteristic between the two reverse dies is the spacing between the 5 and D in the denomination. The BD-3 reverse has a well balanced even spacing particular to this die, which was first used in 1807. Several hundred examples are known of all die varieties combined, with only 100 to 125 of the BD-3 die pair believed extant. No early gold half eagles can be considered common and numismatists should clamor for this delightful Mint State specimen.；
