1799 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-7, Taraszka-19. Rarity-3. Small Obverse Stars. AU-50 (PCGS).Type and Style: Type II: Capped Bust Right, Heraldic Eagle. Style VI: Head of 1795 with 13 small stars arranged eight left, five right; Reverse of 1799 with 13 small stars in the field below the clouds and a short, thick neck on the eagle. The head and eagle punches are attributed to hubs prepared by Robert Scot.Die Variety: BD-7, Taraszka-19, Breen 4-E/B, HBCC-3188. This variety represents the first of two uses of this obverse die and the second of two uses of this reverse die. The obverse exhibits a pronounced slant to the right for the digits 17 in the date, the final digit 9 is close to the bust, and star 9 nearly touches the letter Y in LIBERTY below its right serif. The reverse exhibits several small, shallow rust lumps in the field before and within the letter U in UNITED, a diagonal die line between the upright and right serif of the letter T in the same word, and a short spine from the upper edge of the third feather from the top of the eagles left wing tip. Star 1 is clear of the eagles beak.Die State: BD Die State b/b. This is the earliest known die state of this variety. The obverse is perfect with the exception of minor crumbling within the dentils outside stars 1 and 2. The reverse exhibits no cracks or clashing, but it has been lapped with the tops of the first four clouds incomplete. The reverse die state has been inherited from the 1799 BD-6 variety, the only one that we have positively confirmed to exist for that pairing.Estimated Mintage for the Issue: The conventionally accepted mintage has been 37,449 coins for the 1799 Capped Bust Right eagle issue, based on Walter Breens assumption that all of the coins delivered between May 14, 1799, and September 4, 1800, were from 1799-dated dies. After careful study, Dannreuther provides a revised range of 31,750 to 46,250 pieces produced, the lower estimate allowing for the possibility that some 1797 BD-3 and/or BD-4 coins were included in Breens 37,499-piece mintage, and the upper estimate allowing for the possibility that some 1799-dated eagles were also included in later deliveries.Estimated Mintage for the Variety: Dannreuther estimates that 10,000 to 15,000 examples were coined from the 1799 BD-7 dies.Estimated Surviving Population for the Variety: Two hundred and fifty to 350 coins are believed extant in all grades (per Dannreuther).Strike: This expertly produced early eagle is sharply to full struck within uniformly denticulated borders.Surfaces: Lustrous satin to softly frosted surfaces have the appearance of at least a Choice AU grade. Both sides are primarily medium gold with blushes of pale rose iridescence evident under a light. A few moderate handling marks over Libertys portrait and in the obverse field areas are noted, but the reverse is smoother. The appearance is original and highly attractive.Commentary: BD-7 is the most available die marriage of the 1799 Small Obverse Stars Guide Book variety of the 1799 eagle, and the second most plentiful of the issue as a whole after BD-10 (Large Obverse Stars). The present example is sure to be of particular interest to high quality gold type collectors. The first of two 1799 BD-7 eagles in this collection, our consignor acquired this coin to represent the earliest known die state of the variety struck from a virtually perfect obverse.From the Anthony J. Taraszka Collection. Acquired from Paul Nugget, May 1997.
