1834 Classic Head Half Eagle. HM-7. Rarity-3. Plain 4. MS-61 (PCGS). <strong>Die Variety:</strong> HM-7. Obverse 4: Plain 4 in the date with a relatively flat upper serif on a short 1 and block 8. This die is most readily identifiable by bold triple punching to the digit 4. It appears in the HM-5, HM-6 and HM-7 marriages of the date. Reverse C: The eagle has no tongue, and there is no berry in the branch. The middle leaf cluster is far from the U in UNITED and appears to droop away from that letter. This reverse was used for a total of three varieties in the Classic Head half eagle series: 1834 HM-3, 1834 HM-7, 1835 HM-2.<p><strong>Die Emission Sequence: </strong>Fairly straightforward for this variety, as the 1834 HM-7 follows the 1834 HM-6 pairing and precedes that of the 1835 HM-2. It is almost certainly a product of calendar year 1834.<p><strong>Die State: </strong>Representing a late die state of the 1834 HM-7 attribution, the Virginian Collection specimen exhibits bold reverse cracks at both the left and right wing tips. <p><strong>Estimated Surviving Population for the Variety:</strong> 320 coins in all grades (per Daryl J. Haynor, 2020), or 12% of extant 1834 Classic Head half eagles.<p><strong>Strike: </strong>Well struck by the standards of the issue, we note generally sharp to full detail that softens (perhaps as would be expected) on the hair curls along Libertys forehead, on the main curl behind the neck, and at the junction of the eagles right wing and leg feathers with the left edge of the shield.<p><strong>Surfaces: </strong>A pretty example displaying vivid olive-orange color. The luster is full with a generally satin to softly frosted texture that reveals decided semi-prooflike reflectivity in the fields. Grade-defining handling marks are small in size and singularly inconspicuous to the unaided eye; the appearance is pleasingly smooth at the MS-61 level.<p><strong>Commentary: </strong>This is a somewhat scarcer die pairing of the issue, but enough examples are extant that locating one in most grades should not prove too difficult. The HM-7 is popular not only because it is a first year issue, but also due to the bold triple punching to the digit 4 in the date, which makes this one of the most readily attributable obverse dies of the type. This is a superior quality example for the assigned grade that would do particularly well in a Mint State type set of classic U.S. Mint gold coinage. PCGS# 765197. NGC ID: 25RR. PCGS Population (HM-7 attribution only): 4 in all grades, the present MS-61 finest. From the Daryl J. Haynor Virginian Collection. The plate coin for the 1834 HM-7 variety in the 2020 Haynor reference on Classic Gold coinage.
