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1795 $5 Small Eagle MS62 NGC. B. 1-C, Breen-6412, Mill

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1795 $5 Small Eagle MS62 NGC. B. 1-C, Breen-6412, Mill
<B>1795<$5> Small Eagle MS62 NGC.</B></I> B. 1-C, Breen-6412, Miller-3, Bass-3034, R.6. Stars 11, 12, and Y are all solidly joined. The branch is separated from S and O with the terminal leaves of each branch joined below the space between those letters. This is a rare die marriage, solidly in the middle R.6 range. As a type, the Small Eagle half eagles were produced from 1795 to 1798, and the 1795 dated coins are the usually seen representatives of this coin design. The current surviving population is greater than any other date in the series, and is actually greater than all other dates in the series combined. Despite this fact, there are less than 1,000 examples of this date still in existence today.<BR> This is an important issue as the 1795 half eagles were the first gold coins produced at the Philadelphia Mint, after initial gold deposits were made in July of that year. The initial production took place late in July, with 744 half eagles delivered on July 31. Numerous dies were made for the 1795 half eagle coinage, including at least 10 obverse dies and nine reverse dies for the Small Eagle coinage alone. Two of the obverse dies were not actually used during the first year of gold coinage, but were overdated in 1796 and 1797.<BR> Our firm has sold several dozen 1795 Small Eagle fives over the past decade and only once before have we offered an example of this variety--the identical coin being offered again today. This splendid example displays bright yellow-gold surfaces with a fair degree of reflectivity in the areas surrounding the devices. The strike is well executed save for weakness down the center of the eagle. A bit of scuffiness in the exposed areas limits the flow of reflective luster and, thus, the grade. Any 1795 Small Eagle in Mint State is a prize for the advanced gold collector, but the addition of the elusive die variety should make this a hotly cont