1804 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. B-4. Rarity-7. Small 8, Recut 8. MS-62 (PCGS). This is a noteworthy Mint State example of an early half eagle variety that is rare at all levels of preservation. Vivid reddish-orange surfaces exhibit subtle honey-gold highlights. Sharply defined from a nicely centered, well executed strike, the luster is bright with some reflectiveness in the fields on both sides. Several degrees of counterclockwise die rotation is noted for the reverse. Truly a rare opportunity for early gold variety enthusiasts. BD Die State b/j.<p>The BD-4 die pairing is, by far, the rarest variety of the seven known varieties for the 1804-dated half eagle, rated as Rarity-7 (four to eight pieces known) by Dannreuther and Bass in their book, <em>Early U.S. Gold Coin Die Varieties, A Study of Die States, 1795-1834</em>. Diagnostics include a repunched digit 8 in the date, the reverse with the first letter A in AMERICA touching the third feather and barely touching the fourth, the letters TE in STATES close. There may not be an example of this variety in obverse die state "a" as this die might have cracked during its manufacture, resulting in very few examples being struck and thereby explaining the rarity of survivors in numismatic hands. Miller called this variety Rarity-8 (one to three known), and Bass only owned a single example of this die pairing. We have only offered two other examples of this highly elusive variety in recent years, both certified AU-58 by NGC. This is clearly one of the finest 1804 BD-4 half eagles available to todays advanced collectors.
