1796/5 Half Eagle

HBCC#:

3044

Breen#:

6418

BD#:

1

Judd#:

n/a

Pollock#:

n/a

This issue represents the single known die variety dated 1796. This is an overdate from the 1795 Close Date group, utilizing an unused obverse die. Mint records list 6,916 examples struck, nearly as many as the 1795 Small Eagle coinage with 12 varieties. Most likely, many of the coins struck in 1796 were actually from the 1795 dated dies. It is likely that these 1796 coins were struck very late in the year, or possibly even in 1797.

Provenance:

From Abner Kreisberg's sale of September 1971, Lot 1014.

Obverse:

Reverse:

Commentary:

"Obverse: Close date, 6 over 5. Reverse: That of 1795I. Two berries on outer left wreath, 1 inside and 1 outside on right."