LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 Dallas Signature Coin Auction #450  / 

1817

1801 $10 MS62 NGC. Breen-6843, Taraszka-25, BD-2, R.2.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:70.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1801 $10 MS62 NGC. Breen-6843, Taraszka-25, BD-2, R.2.
<B>1801 $10 MS62 NGC.</B></I> Breen-6843, Taraszka-25, BD-2, R.2. One of two varieties for the year. On the obverse, star 8 is near Liberty's cap, and shows two points near the cap's peak (a key diagnostic, as the BD-1 obverse shows the star points well below the peak), and star 13 almost touches the bust. On the reverse, the eagle's upper beak just about touches the star right below its point (this is a key diagnostic, as the BD-1 reverse has upper and lower beak touching the star). BD-2 is the more common of the two varieties.<BR> This issue is part of the Capped Bust to Right, Heraldic Eagle design type (1797-1804). It was preceded by the Capped Bust obverse, Small Eagle reverse from 1795 to 1797. In 1797, the small eagle, which some considered "scrawny" and unworthy to grace a U.S. coin, was replaced by a large eagle with outstretched wings and a shield. The Large Eagle design was first used on the quarter eagles of 1796. The design was created by assistant engraver John Smith Gardner and was based on the Great Seal of the United States (John Dannreuther and Harry Bass Jr., <I>Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties,</B></I> 2006), which today appears on the reverse of the one-dollar bill.<BR> Mint records give the 1801 ten dollar mintage as 29,254 pieces in 16 deliveries. To this must be added the 15,090 coins struck in 1802 from dies of 1801 (seven deliveries), for a total of 44,344 pieces. Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth, in their 2006 <I>Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins 1795-1933,</B></I> write that the 1801 is noted for having the second-highest surviving population after the 1799, and thus is an excellent choice as one of the more affordable dates of the Capped Bust, Heraldic Eagle type. Moreover, it is the most readily available early eagle in Mint State.<BR> This MS62 specimen displays bright yellow-gold lustrous surfaces that give off a slight green cast. The design elements are sharply impressed and perfectly centered on the planchet, and the dentilation is strong on both sides, particularly on the obverse. Some light adjustment marks are noted at portions of the reverse border, and clash marks are visible on the lower part of Liberty's cap. Minor handling marks are scattered about the fields of both sides. All in all, quite an attractive early type coin. Census: 52 in 62, 69 finer (2/07).<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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