1820 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-8. Rarity-7+. Curved-Base 2, Small Letters. MS-62 (PCGS).；This beautiful Mint State 1820 half eagle represents a formidable rarity in the challenging early half eagle series. Handsome honey-gold patina on both sides adds to the appeal of a lively satin to semi-reflective finish. Smartly impressed with overall full definition, the surfaces are pleasingly smooth and suggestive of a Choice grade.<p>The Square-Base 2 varieties are more common than the five Curve-Based 2 die marriages. The most available of the latter is the BD-5 and that is still a Rarity-6 issue. Even here there is an important subdivision in varieties; three reverse dies bear large letters, with the other two utilizing a small letter logotype. One of the key distinguishing marks of the BD-8 is the placement of Libertys lowest curl principally over the 0 in the date -- the sole use for this die. Even though more than a quarter million half eagles were struck in 1820, of these roughly 6,000 to 8,000 are believed to be the BD-8 variety. The BD-8 is in a class of its own. Indeed, Bass and Dannreuther estimate that the total number of survivors for the two Curved-Base 2 Small Letters varieties lies between 10 and 16. For the BD-8, this can be further reduced to four to six. Remarkably, Bass was able to acquire two specimens struck from this die combination. Two die states are known, with the terminal die state suffering a heavy die crack at OF on the reverse, a crack that eventually ended this dies useful life. As the PCGS Population for these two die varieties show, this is a true rarity. For those who specialize in early half eagle die varieties, this is quite possibly a once in a generation opportunity to add this spectacular rarity to a world class cabinet.；
