1796 Capped Bust Right Quarter Eagle. Stars on Obverse. BD-3. Rarity-5+. MS-63 * (NGC).
Here is another coin for the ages, epitomizing the quality of the Murray Hill Collection. It combines high quality, wonderful provenance and undeniable rarity. What more could be desired?<p>This is a fabulous example of the 1796 quarter eagle with stars, featuring somewhat prooflike surfaces that are enhanced by subtle olive tinting to dominant bright orange-gold patina. The strike is nice overall with just a touch of weakness at the precise centers, and the planchet is amazingly free of adjustment marks or other unsightly blemishes. Long overshadowed by its more famous No Stars on Obverse counterpart of the year (an example of which is offered in the preceding lot), the 1796 Stars on Obverse is actually the rarer of the two issues in numismatic circles. Regarding the ultra-low mintage of this important rarity, which is less than half that of its No Stars counterpart, the 2006 Bass-Dannreuther reference on early U.S. gold coin varieties notes:
"This is a very rare date/major variety with most numismatists favoring an estimated mintage of 432, these probably comprising the delivery of January 14, 1797. This number is a guess, but the relative rarity of this variety to the No Stars type certainly leads one to believe that it is fairly accurate."
The same reference remarks that perhaps just 40 to 50 examples are extant in all grades. The obverse stars are arranged eight left, eight right, for a total of 16, a number that reflects Tennessees admission to the Union in 1796. With 16 obverse stars, in fact, the 1796 Stars on Obverse quarter eagle is effectively a one-year type -- as is its No Stars counterpart; all other quarter eagles Capped Bust design type, 1797 to 1807, have 13 obverse stars. Also of note for this variety is a patch of heavy raised die file or polish marks at the reverse rim at the tops of the letters TATE in STATES, clearly visible to the unassisted eye.<p>The present coin is the finest 1796 Stars on Obverse quarter eagle certified by NGC to have received a coveted * designation for superior eye appeal. We are pleased to offer what is certainly one of the finest examples of the date currently available. Savvy collectors will appreciate this rarity and bid accordingly.，PCGS# 7647. NGC ID: 25F3.，NGC Census: 4, only one of which has received a * designation for superior eye appeal; 1 finer (MS-65).，From the Murray Hill Collection. Earlier from our (Stacks) sale of the John Whitney Walter Collection of the Coins of 1796, May 1999, lot 1791; our Chicago ANA Sale of August 2011, lot 7593.
