1802/1 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. BD-5. Rarity-7. Centered Overdate. AU-50 (PCGS).A rare and highly significant offering for the early gold variety enthusiast. Bright honey-gold surfaces retain ample evidence of a semi-prooflike finish from the dies. Direct lighting calls forth appreciable reflectivity from the fields, the devices with a more satiny texture. The arrow feathers and eagles right wing and talon on the reverse are softly struck, but otherwise we note bold to sharp detail for all design elements. Light hairlining and a touch of glossiness to the texture are noted for accuracy, although the only worthwhile provenance marker is a short, shallow scuff in the reverse field below the letter E in AMERICA. BD Die State d/b, terminal.pThis variety represents the last of five pairings for the workhorse Centered Overdate obverse die of the 1802/1 half eagle. The present example, the plate coin in the 2006 Bass-Dannreuther early gold reference, confirms why this die was retired at the end of the BD-5 press run: the obverse has developed a prominent cud break at the border outside the letter T in LIBERTY. The reverse, also cracked in this die state, went on to strike examples of the 1802/1 BD-6 High Overdate variety.pDannreuther estimates that only 1,000 to 1,500 examples of the 1802/1 BD-5 variety were struck before Mint employees retired this obverse die. The author accounts for a mere seven to 10 survivors in all grades, a paltry total that confirms the significance of this offering for the advanced collector.Ex Jim La Sarre. The plate coin for the variety in the 2006 reference emEarly U.S. Gold Coin Varieties: A Study of Die States, 1795-1834/em by John W. Dannreuther and Harry W. Bass, Jr.
