1811 Small 5 $5.00 PCGS EF45

BD-2, Rarity-3. Small 5 variety.There are two varieties of 1811 half eagles known: the Small 5 and the Tall 5. Neither brings a premium although, in my experience, the latter is a bit more scarce. As a type, the Capped Bust Left is both short-lived (it was issued from 1807 through 1812) and desirable. It is also completable, as there are no rare dates; just rare varieties. The present example shows deep mottled coppery and green-gold toning that is suggestive of having been kept in a leather storage pouch for many years. There is no remaining luster but the detail is excellent and the surfaces appear clean for the grade with just a few small marks in the left obverse. As a rule, early gold is very hard to find in grades below AU50 as it just didn't circulate enough to garner this degree of wear. many examples in the VF-EF range are damaged or have negative eye appeal and this pleasing, richly toned piece has very good eye appeal. An affordable and interesting early half eagle.