1799 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. BD-8. Rarity-6. Large Reverse Stars. AU-50 (ANACS). A pleasing coin for the ANACS-assigned grade, both sides exhibit vivid medium gold color with a tinge of light honey evident as the surfaces rotate away from direct lighting. The strike is well executed for the type with most major design elements bold. Wear is expectably light for the assigned grade, and while we note no sizeable marks, faint hairlines and a touch of glossiness to the texture are noted for accuracy. BD Die State b/b.<p>Writing in the 2006 reference <em>Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties: A Study of Die States, 1795-1834</em>, John W. Dannreuther provides an estimated mintage of just 1,250 to 1,500 coins for the 1799 BD-8 half eagle die pairing. The present example, one of only 22 to 30 coins believed extant per the author, represents the terminal die state with cracks on both the obverse and reverse. It is the crack on the latter side that undoubtedly explains the rarity of this die variety in numismatic circles for, while the obverse went on to strike coins in the BD-9 pairing, the reverse appears only in the BD-8 marriage. Our first offering for a 1799 BD-8 half eagle since 2014, the significance of this lot for early gold variety enthusiasts can hardly be overstated.
