1799 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. BD-2. Rarity-5+. Small Reverse Stars. AU-55 (NGC).This is a bright, yellow gold example with hints of deeper honey color near the borders. Considerable mint luster remains in the protected areas and speaks to the overall superior preservation of this piece. A few small indentations are visible in the right obverse field under a glass, but these go largely unnoticed without magnification. The centers are a bit soft as is typical of this variety, and the dies show considerable evidence of wear in this state. Dramatic traces of clashing surrounds Libertys portrait on the obverse and the reverse boasts significant radial cracks emanating from the eagle at several points. An attractive and intriguing example. The fledgling United States Mint required four obverse and nine reverse dies to strike an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 half eagles bearing the 1799 date. Excessive die failure was a problem for this issue, as it was throughout the earliest years of Mint operations. BD-2, offered here, is one of the few varieties of the date that displays an arc pattern of stars in the reverse field above the eagle, similar to the arrangement seen on the Great Seal of the United States. This die, which was first used to strike 1798 half eagles of the BD-5 variety, is attributed to John Smith Gardner. As a date 1799 half eagles are considerably rarer than their 1800-dated counterparts, and all known die marriages of the former are elusive in numismatic circles. BD-2 has an extant population of only 35 to 45 coins, confirming the significance of the present offering for early gold variety specialists as well as more generalized, albeit equally advanced collectors.