1797 Capped Bust Right Eagle. Heraldic Eagle. BD-4, Taraszka-12. Rarity-4+. MS-61 (PCGS). Secure Holder.，Impressive condition rarity in an early ten-dollar gold eagle. Fully prooflike in finish, both sides exhibit intense reflectivity in the fields as the coin rotates under a light. The devices are more satiny in texture with an uncommonly sharp, overall full strike. The only mentionable softness of detail is confined to the central reverse over and above the eagles head and breast, where light adjustment marks (as made) are evident. Bright orange-gold patina and a remarkably smooth appearance for the assigned grade round out an impressive list of attributes for this thoroughly appealing example. BD Die State d/b.<p>All 1797 Heraldic Eagle tens were struck from the same obverse die which is distinct from that used to produce the 1797 Small Eagle coins. The obverse die of the Heraldic Eagle coins has 16 stars around the border, but they are arranged 10 left, 6 right as opposed to 12 left, 4 right for the Small Eagle variety.<p>Each of the three known varieties of the 1797 Heraldic Eagle ten features a different reverse die, and each exhibits a style of eagle that is unique in this series. The reverse of BD-4 has a long-neck eagle like BD-2, although the neck is thick like that used on the short-neck eagle featured on the BD-3 variety. Since the eagle device was hubbed, in this case perhaps by John Smith Gardner, John Dannreuther (2006) believes that the punch used to create the reverse die of BD-2 may have been modified to create the reverse die of the present variety which exhibits an unusual cross pattern to the stars in the field above the eagle with the arrowheads all past the center and one near the right edge of the letter N in UNITED.<p>All known 1797 BD-4 eagles were struck from the same obverse die state, inherited from the later state of the 1797 BD-3 variety. The two cracks from the border to the base of the second digit 7 in the date have now joined together to form a small cud, and while the outer crack between the upright and serif of the digit 7 terminates at the serif, the inner crack now continues into the base of Libertys bust. The die is also lapped in this state, most evident through the shortened inner points on stars 1 to 10. Since all known 1797 BD-4 eagles were struck from the same die state as BD-3, and since most, if not all known 1797 BD-3 coins were struck after both varieties of the 1798/7 issue, the 1797 BD-4 variety was also struck after the 1798/7-dated coins.<p>Although two reverse die states are known for this variety, only state b, represented by the present coin, is realistically obtainable. John Dannreuther (2006) mentions just two examples of reverse die state a, the first ex Bass and the second impounded in the ANS Collection. In state b, the reverse die is cracked from the border in three places: through the left side of the letter R in AMERICA into the leaves on the olive branch; through the left side of the letter C in the same word also into the leaves; and faintly to the right edge of the eagles central tail feather.<p>Based on an extant population of just 90 to 110 coins in all grades, the mintage from this die pairing is estimated at 3,500 to 5,000 pieces (again per Dannreuther). Mint State survivors, as here, are particularly elusive and eagerly sought by advanced gold type and variety collectors.，PCGS# 8559. NGC ID: 25ZY.，PCGS Population (all die marriages of the 1797 Heraldic Eagle ten): 18; 20 finer (MS-63+ finest).，
