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Condition Rarity 1810 Half Eagle, MS64 NGC
BD-1, High R.3. Four die pairings joined forces to coin 100,287 1810-dated five dollar gold pieces. This piece is from the first die marriage in the emission sequence and is commonly referred to as the Small Date, Large 5 variety, or BD-1. Early gold specialists generally agree that approximately 25,000 coins were struck from the BD-1 dies, yet less than 200 are believed to have survived to this day. The Garrett-Guth gold coin encyclopedia documents 59 auction appearances between 1991 and 2005, compared to 120 sales of the famous 1879 four dollar gold “Stella” during the same period. Any Stella of comparable grade would have realized over $200,000—dramatically more than an 1810 half eagle would have garnered. This can only be explained by the fact that the 1810 fives are an underappreciated issue and, perhaps, that the four dollar Stellas are a bit overrated due in large to substantial publicity over the years.
A memorable appearance of this rare issue occurred at the August 2007 ANA sale by Heritage. That near-Gem specimen, such as the current offering, realized just south of $50,000. As of December 2008, NGC has certified a mere four examples at the MS64 level, with none finer. Having any early gold coin in the finest known category is an incredible feat. This offering represents a truly rare opportunity.
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History
