1798 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. Heraldic Eagle. BD-3. Rarity-5. Large 8, 14-Star Reverse. AU-53 (NGC). Warm honey-gold color blankets both sides with vivid rose highlights flashing into view as the surfaces rotate under a light. The strike is sharp in most areas, and the satiny texture retains glints of the original mint finish to further tempt the viewer. BD Die State a/d.<p>Much of the early years of the Philadelphia Mint were spent trying to figure out ways of prolonging die life, especially for their gold issues. This was especially important for the half eagle, which served as the workhorse gold denomination in commerce. Although some 24,867 half eagles are recorded as having been delivered in 1798, six obverse and eight reverse dies matched in eight so far identified pairings were required to accomplish this production run. Of these pairings, only the BD-3 bears a reverse with 14 stars above the eagle arranged in an arc: six stars above, six stars in the second row, and one star each flanking and before the eagles neck. Why a 14th star was added is not known; in our August 2014 sale of the Dr. James A. Ferrendelli Collection, we note that this arrangement may have been blundered rather than a deliberate composition. The BD-3 die pairing is quite scarce with between 35 and 50 coins believed to survive, with the lower range the more probable according to John Dannreuther (2006). A noteworthy offering for a coin that would make an important addition to any specialized cabinet of early half eagle varieties. PCGS# 507323. NGC ID: BFX8. NGC Census: 4; 13 finer (MS-60 finest). Newly certified and never before offered publicly.
