1798 Draped Bust Dollar. Small eagle, 15 stars on obverse. NGC AU50

1798. Small eagle, 15 stars on obverse. B-2; BB-81. NGC graded AU-50. This is the small eagle type that is always in demand, and the present coin has the curious feature of 15 stars on the obvrese. Why curious? Well, 15 stars were current until June of 1796 when Tennessee joined the United States as the 16th state, so there should be 16 stars on this 1798 die. Apparently this was an early 1796 obverse die which never had the final digit punched in, and once the Mint in Philadelphia decided to return to the original 13 stars, this leftover die was pressed into service rather than be discarded. Who would notice anyway? The new Large Eagle design began production soon after these "leftover" dies were pressed into service, including the Small Eagle reverse design. A better than average strike with no flan flaws as usually seen. Pleasing uniform light grayish-violet toning on both sides. Pop 1; 3 in 53, 1 in 60, 1 in 63. Estimated Value $20,000 - UP
Ex Goldbergs, Dr, Hesselgesser Collection, Auction 39, February 13, 2007 lot 1548.