1799 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-8, Taraszka-20. Rarity-5. Small Obverse Stars. VF Details--Surfaces Smoothed (PCGS). A generally deep honey-olive example with vivid outlines of reddish-rose to most design elements. Light to moderate hairlining and a somewhat glossy texture explain the PCGS qualifier. Bold detail remains to all major features. BD Die State c/b. The 1799 BD-8 is a median rarity among the 10 known die marriages for the 1799 eagle and represents the second of two uses for this obverse die. The most significant diagnostic of this die is the rightward leaning of the digits 17 in the date. The reverse of BD-8 is in its only use, all known examples exhibiting a sharp, jagged die break within the letter C in AMERICA. Interestingly, all known examples of the 1799 BD-8 eagle were struck between die states of the 1799 BD-7 variety. For unknown reasons the Mint initially replaced the reverse die of the 1799 BD-7 pairing with the reverse die represented here, only to have that die break up and fail quickly, resulting in the BD-7 remarriage. The early break up of this reverse die resulted in relatively few coins being struck, which in turn explains the scarcity of the 1799 BD-8 variety. In fact, according to John W. Dannreuther (2006), only 45 to 55 examples are believed extant in all grades. PCGS# 98562.
