1795 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. Small Eagle. BD-10. Rarity-5. AU Details--Filed Rims (PCGS). Exceptionally nice for the assigned grade, this piece sports razor sharp detail to most areas. Indeed, the strike is nicely centered and well executed, coming up a bit short only along the upper right obverse border due to the presence of some faint adjustment marks (as made). It is in this areas, as well, where we see some evidence for the PCGS qualifier. The filing and adjustment marks are seemingly related, the former probably from a misguided attempt to remove the latter. Wispy hairlines and a somewhat glossy texture are also noted for accuracy, although there are few sizeable marks, and the color is a pretty bright honey-gold. Semi-reflective in finish, as well, and sure to catch the eye of many early gold enthusiasts. BD Die State c/b.</p><p>The BD-10 variety offered here is among the scarcer of the 12 known die marriages of the 1795 Small Eagle $5. Only about 750 to 1,250 coins are believed to have been struck using this die pair, and the mass meltings of gold coins that occurred in the 1820s and 1830s certainly took their toll. John W. Dannreuther (2006) accounts for just 40 to 50 survivors in all grades, and this is one of our few offerings for the variety in recent decades.</p><p>This variety represents the only use of this reverse die, which is readily identifiable by repunching to the base of the second letter T in STATES. Harry W. Bass, Jr. owned two examples of this variety, both in BD Die State c/b, as here, with a crack through the final letter A in AMERICA and a break in the denticles outside the letter I in UNITED. Whether these breaks were sufficient to force Mint personnel to retire this die is unknown, although to date no coins in a later reverse die state have been confirmed.</p> PCGS# 519859.
