1798 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle. Heraldic Eagle. BD-6. Rarity-6. Small (a.k.a. Normal) 8. AU-53 (PCGS).
A vivid and attractive coin, and also a rare one in terms of both variety and die pairing. Deep olive undertones yield to brighter medium gold color under a light. Central striking detail is soft on both sides, primarily due to a concentration of adjustment marks (as made) on the reverse that engage the eagle's breast, right shoulder, and the shield. The definition sharpens considerably toward the borders, where one is treated to full, uniform denticulation. An otherwise frosty finish yields to noticeable semi-reflectivity in the fields. Free of significant marks with a lovely appearance for a lightly circulated early U.S. Mint gold coin. BD Die State a/b, "may exist" per John W. Dannreuther (2006), but irrefutable here given the perfect state of the obverse combined with the arcing reverse crack from the border before the letter O in OF to the base of the eagle's left wing near its junction with the shield. The second scarcest Guide Book variety of the 1798 Heraldic Eagle five, the Small 8 has an extant population of only 75 to 100 coins across three die marriages (BD-6, 7 and 8). The BD-6 is the second scarcest in this group with just 30 to 40 examples known (per Dannreuther). The last two AUs that we offered were impaired, further confirming the rarity and desirability of this lovely PCGS AU-53 coin.
PCGS# 8079. NGC ID: BFX5.

Estimate: $30000