1803/2 $5 Draped Bust Half Eagle PCGS AU58

1803/2 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle, AU58 Imperfect T, BD-1 Variety 1803/2 $5 BD-1, R.4, AU58 PCGS. Bass-Dannreuther Die State b/c, with several reverse die cracks, including one through the left side of O in OF. A respectable mintage of 33,506 Capped Bust Right half eagles was accomplished in 1803, with four die varieties known for the date. This coin represents the BD-1 variety, with a broken right foot on the T in LIBERTY and the star pointing to the upper beak tip on the reverse. Two leftover obverse dies from 1802 were overdated and used to strike all the 1803-dated half eagles. The BD-1 obverse was used on three of those varieties, while BD-4 was produced with an obverse that shows a perfect T in LIBERTY. The reverse die was used previously to strike the BD-7 variety of 1802. The BD-1 is the most available variety of the date, with a surviving population of 150-200 examples in all grades. The present coin is an attractive near-Mint example that shows just a trace of friction on the high points of the devices. The obverse shows a sharp strike, with a few clash marks below the bust. The reverse shows some softness at the juncture of the shield and eagle's wings, and the left (facing) claw and arrow fletchings. The lightly abraded orange-gold surfaces retain significant amounts of original mint luster. Overall eye appeal is strong. From The Duffy Family Collection.