1802/1 Capped Bust Right Quarter Eagle. BD-1. Rarity-4. Spike Shield. AU-55 (PCGS).This superior quality example of the type, date and die pairing will please even the advanced gold enthusiast. Satiny surfaces retain much of the original mint finish, and there is faint semi-reflectivity in the fields. The strike is ideally centered, the border universally denticulated around both sides, and the design elements sharp apart from a touch of softness in the centers. Warm golden-olive color provides strong eye appeal and rounds out a impressive list of physical attributes. BD Die State a/b.<p>Among dates of this type, the 1802 is not elusive in lower circulated grades. Many collectors choose an 1802 or 1807 to represent the design type, and with perhaps 200 specimens of the 1802 surviving in all grades, there are generally enough for collectors to at least locate one. Close to Mint State, however, this scenario changes. This is one of our finer offerings so far during the 21st century, highlighting the significance of this opportunity for advanced bidders.<p>The Mint used only a single obverse die for this issue, and for many years numismatists believed that the digit 2 in the date was punched over a 1, a feature seen on its big brother the half eagle of this year, which often shows the overdate feature rather sharply. However, more recent scholarship has discounted the presence of an underlying 1 on the sole 1802-dated quarter eagle die.PCGS# 7650. NGC ID: 25F6.
