1795 Half Eagle

HBCC#:

3038

Breen#:

6415

BD#:

7

Judd#:

n/a

Pollock#:

n/a

This is the first of the close date varieties with lower left star entirely left of lowest curl. Harry Bass acquired 20 examples of the 1795 Small Eagle half eagles, with the finest of each variety kept for this display. This was the only example of this die marriage obtained by Harry Bass. The number of examples acquired, and the quality of each, provide a clue to the rarity of each individual die variety. Walter Breen considered this the third rarest variety. This obverse die was also used for 1795 Heraldic Eagle coinage.

Provenance:

Purchased from Stanley Kesselman, October 26, 1972.

Obverse:

Reverse:

Commentary:

"Obverse: Close date. Tip of 5 barely overlies drapery. Prior 5 punch visible to left of top of 5. Reverse: 4 berries, nearly level. No crack edge - N."