1813 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-1. Rarity-2. Unc Details--Cleaned (PCGS).Displaying an evenly medium gold surface with traces of russet around some of the devices towards the edge, there are tantalizing hints of luster in the hidden protected areas round some of the devices, in particular the legend. The strike is bold and crisp and the planchet devoid of the usual adjustment marks that are regularly found on these early gold pieces.John Reichs Capped Head Left half eagles marked an overall increase in production for the perennially in-demand denomination. In 1813 - the first year of issue - 95,428 coins were produced using only two die pairs both sharing the same obverse, a continuation of the improved die reliability begun a few years earlier. Even though the output was increased, the Capped Head Left series as a whole is markedly scarcer than its predecessor. The coins were particularly prone to the mass hoarding and meltings of the 1820s and 1830s and consequently attrition rates are very high. The mass meltings were not alleviated until the weight was reduced from 8.75 grams to 8.36 grams in 1834, though by then the damage had been done. Replete with some of the greatest rarities in all of numismatics, including the renowned 1822 half eagle, the 1813 issue is the only one that can reasonably be called available, even here not even 1% of the entire mintage for both varieties is believed extant. Of the two die marriages, as here, the BD-1 is the more available; it is discernible from the BD-2 in that the first letter S in STATES is located halfway between the E and P in the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. An excellent specimen that is not easily overlooked.From the Dr. Morgan Collection.
