1803 Capped Bust Right Eagle. BD-2, Taraszka-27. Rarity-7. Small Reverse Stars. AU-50 (PCGS). OGH. A lovely AU early eagle irrespective of die pairing, both sides sport vivid color in even golden-orange. Direct lighting calls forth not only brighter medium gold color, but also ample remnants of a semi-prooflike finish. The fields are noticeably reflective, indeed, while the design elements are more satiny in texture. Boldly defined from a well centered impression, light circulation has resulted in trivial high point rub and only wispy handling marks. BD Die State a/b.<p>An exciting find for early gold variety specialists, this is a newly confirmed example of the 1803 BD-2 attribution. This variety vies with BD-6 as the rarest of the 1803-dated issue. Writing in the excellent 2006 reference <em>Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties: A Study of Die States, 1795-1834</em>, John W. Dannreuther accounts for only six to 10 survivors from an estimated mintage of just 300 to 600 coins for this die pairing. This is only the seventh specimen of which we are aware, although interestingly we have offered three of these in the last three to four years, including two (!) in this sale. This is certainly a rare occurrence and we expect that once these coins find their way into other tightly held collections it may be many years, if not decades before the specialist has another opportunity to acquire an 1803 BD-2 eagle. Worthy of the strongest bids. PCGS# 8565. NGC ID: 2629.
