1807 Capped Bust $5.00 NGC AU58 CAC
/Capped Bust Left variety. BD-8, Rarity-2. In 1807, the old Capped Bust Right Heraldic Eagle reverse half eagle design was changed by John Reich. This makes 1807 an interesting transitional year for the half eagle denomination with two distinct design available to collectors. As a set, the 1807 transitional half eagles are highly completable in nearly any desired grade. The present 1807 Bust Left half eagle is as an original an early gold coin of any date or denomination that you are likely to find. It shows superb deep green-gold hues that are accentuated by splashes of coppery-gold in the open fields. There is just a tiny amount of friction seen on the high spots and the quality of the surfaces is outstanding with a virtual absence of marks. Below the toning there is a good amount of luster and if this coin were (gasp!) dipped, it would become apparent that it is a very lustrous coin. Even though this is a reasonably common issue, it has become extremely hard to find examples with this degree of eye appeal and originality. In fact, you could search for along time and not find a nicer AU 1807 half eagle than this!