1828 Half Eagle

HBCC#:

3153

Breen#:

6488

BD#:

3

Judd#:

n/a

Pollock#:

n/a

This example was acquired by Harry Bass in a private transaction in 1989. No previous pedigree was recorded. However, this example matches the plate in Auction ’81, Lot 442, with an earlier pedigree to Rarcoa’s 1963 sale of the J.F. Bell Collection. This is an extremely rare variety with possibly only two or three examples surviving. Walter Breen recorded just two examples in his 1966 monograph, with the Dunham Collection coin sold by B. Max Mehl in 1941 no longer tracked, although the plate in that catalogue has similarities to this example.

Provenance:

Purchased from NCI, May 23, 1989.

Obverse:

Reverse:

Commentary:

"Obverse: Normal date, numerals spaced apart. Belted 8s. 1 heavily punched, its base even with that of 8. Star 1 distant from bust. Star 13 completely to right of hair, quite distant from 8 (distinctive). Clear die center punch lump in front of ear (distinctive). Reverse: Small letters. Letters T and M even smaller than those of 1826A. Perfect T (no triangular punch in bottom of upright). S over E. T over R and space right. S centered over US. Base of E even with that of adjacent T. Perfect M. Fairly wide 5D, 5 fairly close to leaf, top of 5 a bit higher than that of D. Large period. Small die center punch lump in upper shield. Surfaces between lower shield stripes rough, but not clashed. No cracks."