1798 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. Small Eagle. BB-82, B-1. Rarity-3. 13 Stars on Obverse. EF-45 (PCGS). CAC.A delightfully original specimen that becomes increasingly more desirable the closer it is scrutinized. An apricot patina uniformly dusts the surfaces, though is backlit by a violet and tangerine iridescence that shimmers under a light source. There is a faint streak of darker toning that bisects the reverse but rest assured that this is not the product granularity or a surface disturbance of any sort. Swaths of satiny luster surround the design elements and testify to the truly superior preservation exhibited throughout. Boldly struck and offering strong eye appeal for the assigned grade. <p>From the final year of the Draped Bust, Small Eagle die combination. 327,536 silver dollars were reported struck in 1798, but the majority of those pieces were no doubt of the Large or Heraldic Eagle reverse type which is considerably more plentiful than the type offered here. One of two varieties of the type and date, the other with 15 obverse stars. Typically found at EF-40 or lower on the grading scale, we note that just 26 grading events have occurred for the 13 Stars design type in the PCGS Population Report, with only 27 grading finer. Of those, just two examples have been called Mint State. From the Collection of Thaddeus A. Tatum III. Earlier ex Ira and Larry Goldbergs sale of the Dr. Hesselgesser Collection, September 2011, lot 5032.
