1797 $10 BD-2, Large Eagle MS(PCGS#45717)

November 2015 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

20122

等级

MS61

价格

298,268

详细说明

Mint State 1797 Heraldic Eagle Ten-Dollar Gold 1797 Capped Bust Right Eagle. Heraldic Eagle. BD-2, Taraszka-8. Rarity-4+. MS-61 (NGC). Warmly patinated in olive-gold with a splash of even more vivid reddish-rose iridescence adorning the left reverse periphery. This is a vibrant, satin to semi-reflective coin that also displays bold to sharp definition throughout the design. A lovely Mint State example that is sure to entice both advanced type collectors and early gold enthusiasts. As a denomination, the eagle was certainly a prestigious coin in the early days of the United States Mint. Large, elegant and of considerable intrinsic value at the time -- representing almost a month's salary for a low-level Mint employee -- the denomination was a mark of national pride for the new country. In the third year of the eagle's existence, the reverse design was switched to a large Heraldic Eagle based on the Great Seal on the United States. While only one pair of dies was employed for the earlier 1797 Small Eagle issue, the 10,940 Heraldic Eagle coins were struck using one obverse and three reverse dies. The BD-2 and BD-4 varieties are the most frequently encountered die pairs, with BD-3 being somewhat rarer. Employing what is considered the first Heraldic Eagle reverse die put into service, the BD-2 marriage is most easily distinguished by the long thin eagle's neck and stars placed in even and straight rows, both hallmarks of punches prepared by John Gardner. Scarce as a rule and challenging in Mint State, a small number of Uncirculated examples exist, though it should be noted that the figures reported by the grading services almost certainly reflect resubmissions. Bass and Dannreuther said it best in their 2006 opus, Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties: A Study of Die States, 1795-1834, when they remarked that, "The early eagles are some of the most prized acquisitions in all of numismatics." The present specimen certainly lives up to that statement, and will certainly garner much attention when it crosses the block.