1799 Eagle

HBCC#:

3189

Breen#:

6840

BD#:

8

Judd#:

n/a

Pollock#:

n/a

This is the same Irregular Date obverse die introduced at HBCC-3188. In combination with this reverse, however, the die marriage is quite scarce. Possibly 50 to 60 examples survive from this die marriage. The Bass Collection coin is among the five or six finest known examples. This was a short-lived reverse die, only known to exist in this single die marriage. There is no simple explanation for the life of individual dies. Some dies are known in several marriages with many hundred coins surviving. Others such as this were only used for a single combination.

Provenance:

Purchased from Rowe and Brownlee, May 7, 1969. Previously from RARCOA's sale of April 1968, Lot 220.

Obverse:

Reverse:

Commentary:

"Obverse: Small stars, irregular date, numerals spaced 1 799, with 1 7 tilted markedly to right (distinctive). 1 far from curl. One point of star 1 close to curl. Denticle crumble at stars 1 and 2, and beneath curl. Crack stars 1 to 8. Also, IBERTY thru all stars at right. Clashed; evident top of cap and L, at forelock, and at bridge of nose. Reverse: Jagged die crumble within C resulting from die crack (distinctive). Cf. Chapman/Earle #2298. Other cracks: thru base of D; thru TATES; edge, (E)S, cloud; cloud, stars 4, 9, eagle's head; edge, O, cloud; edge, cloud, F, star 6, wing; edge - MER - leaf; ICA, edge, tail. Berry under right serif of right foot of A. A(M) free of feathers."