1805 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. BD-1. Rarity-3+. Perfect 1, Close Date. MS-63 (PCGS).This bright medium gold example exhibits lively satin luster to overall smooth, Choice-quality surfaces. Sharply defined over the focal features with plenty of eye appeal.<p>The output of the 33,183 half eagles coined at Philadelphia dated 1805 was achieved through four obverse dies and two reverse dies in a total of five known combinations. The obverse of the Bass-Dannreuther-1 die marriage is easily identified by having a complete bottom left serif in the numeral 1 in the date; a broken punch was used for the second obverse. The reverse is discernible by carefully observing that one of the two rightmost leaves in the branch in the eagles talons just touches the extreme left corner of the letter I in AMERICA, and the letters IT in UNITED are closely spaced. The BD-1 die pair proved to be among the more resilient, lasting for an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 impressions before the reverse die eventually failed with a massive cud covering most of the tops of UNITED. While almost all early gold half eagles are rare due to the mass meltings in the 1820s and 1830s, this is one of the more available issues even in Mint State. Dannreuther estimates that approximately 175 to 225 examples of the BD-1 pair survive, likely accounting for little more than half the total number of 1805 half eagles thought to remain. Most of the known Mint State examples are at the very lowest tiers, but thankfully there are a small number of Choice Uncirculated examples to whet the appetites of numismatists. Attractive in every regard, the present specimen would be just right for a high grade type set or specialized early gold collection.
