1818 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-2. Rarity-4. STATESOF. AU-58 (ANACS). OH.
With a sharp to full strike and nearly complete satin luster, this premium quality half eagle is very close to Mint State. The overall smooth surfaces display bright golden-orange color that enhances the strong eye appeal. BD Die State b. The three known die marriages of the 1818 half eagle are easy to distinguish since two display very prominent diagnostics. On examples of BD-2, as represented by the coin in this lot, the words STATES and OF in the reverse legend appear as one word. This is the most frequently encountered die marriage of the issue, but we stress that all Capped Head Left half eagles of 1813 to 1834 are scarce, if not rare in numismatic circles. Examples of this type saw widespread melting through the mid 1830s, explaining why this is one of the most challenging of all U.S. gold coin series to collect. Survivors of the 1818 BD-2 variety number only 100 to 125 coins in all grades (per John W. Dannreuther, 2006).
PCGS# 8121. NGC ID: BFXV.