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Extraordinarily Rare 1803 Eagle
1803 Ten Dollar, PCGS AU50. BD-6, Taraszka-32, Breen-6845, R.7. Harry W. Bass, Jr. was the preeminent collector and researcher of early U.S. gold coins from the early 1960s until his passing in 1998. During that time, Bass was able to acquire all but one example of the 33 known die marriages of early ten dollar gold pieces. The coin that Bass never managed to locate was the variety offered here—the 1803 BD-6 eagle. This is a significant fact, considering that Bass had substantial financial means and limited competition.
Anthony Taraszka’s important 1999 work on the subject delineates four known specimens of this rare die marriage, while the seminal 2006 reference by Bass and Dannreuther suggests an extant population of six to 10 coins. Catalogers of recent auction appearances have opined that only four to six pieces have survived, although a thorough examination of data points to a more realistic total of seven specimens.
 Of the eight BD-6 eagles traced, the finest graded is an NGC MS62 coin which was previously described by a Stack’s cataloger as XF. That coin last crossed the auction block at Heritage’s June 2008 sale, where it realized a staggering $172,500—the highest price ever paid for an 1803 Large Star ten by a substantial margin, and the second highest amount realized for any 1803 ten dollar, regardless of variety or condition. Even the handful of known Gem Uncirculated examples have fallen short of this record price, which is testimony to the numismatic community’s recognition of the importance of 1803 BD-6. This variety is also now documented in the Guide Book of United States Coins, where it is identified as being “very rare.”
In addition to being the only variety that Harry W. Bass, Jr. did not own, BD-6 also holds the distinction of being the last of the early eagles struck at our fledgling first Mint. Research by Bass and Dannreuther proves that the 1803 BD-6 coins were struck after the 1804 Crosslet 4 issue. Both marriages share the same reverse die, although 1803 BD-6 is a later state. Therefore, it is likely that the 3,757 mintage of 1804 tens includes a scant delivery of 1803 BD-6 coins. Another ten dollar gold piece would not be struck by the U.S. Mint until 1838.
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History
