1810 Capped Bust Left Half Eagle. BD-4. Rarity-2. Large Date, Large 5. MS-63 (NGC).A softly frosted early half eagle further adorned with vivid golden-yellow patina. Sharply struck in virtually all areas, especially on the obverse, this lovely Choice example is seemingly earmarked for inclusion in a Mint State type set of classic U.S. Mint gold coinage.<p>The four different die pairings used for the 1810 half eagles have been listed separately in the Red Book thanks to the readily discernible differences between the date and denomination logotypes. Only two of the four, BD-1 (Small Date, Tall 5) and BD-4 (Large Date, Large 5), as here, are regularly available to collectors. All told, 100,287 half eagles were struck from these die pairs, at least three-quarters of which were coined using the BD-4 marriage. Somewhere between 500 and 750 specimens are believed to reside in numismatic holdings, helping to make it one of the most popular type candidates for the entire series. In fact, its relative availability compared to other early gold coins has made the 1810 BD-4 half eagle among the most popular of all the early U. S. gold types regardless of denomination. For collectors seeking just one high grade example of this perennially challenging era for gold, look no further.
