DESIRABLE CHOICE AU PCGS/CAC 1798 HALF EAGLE

BD-2, R-5. Late die state with extensive cracks on both sides.

1798 half eagles come with both Small Eagle and Large Eagle reverses and in a host of varieties as well. This specific coin is found with the exact same obverse die that was used to make the famous 1798 Small Eagle coins. As a date, the 1798 Large Eagle is the most available (and least expensive) 18th century American half eagle which makes it very desirable for type collectors searching for something special.

Most 1798 Large Eagle five dollar gold pieces are found with either poor strikes (depending on the die variety) or totally stripped surfaces. This deep green-gold example has extensive splashes of attractive deep natural at the obverse rim, especially from 7:00 to 12:00. It doesn’t appear to have ever been dipped or “improved” and the lustrous surfaces are clean and choice save for one small contact mark opposite star four on the obverse. The strike is sharp with very full central details. What appears to be a deep scratch in the left obverse field is a die break while a heavy mint-made guideline appears beneath the date and into the area below the point of the bust.

The last CAC approved AU55 1798 Large 8, 13 star half eagle to sell at auction was a PCGS coin that brought $19,975. It was a more common die variety (BD-4) and a much less nice coin, in my opinion.

This is the finest available quality 18th century half eagle for less than $20,000 and it is a really pleasing example for the date and grade.

CAC has approved eight in this grade with 15 finer.